#all hail Queen sans the first | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

natsumi-no-hotaru · 4 months

Photo

Chihayafuru #55: Karuta is so unpredictable... and fun!

AKA. I was completely blown away by how AWESOME this episode is.

[Previously: The four-on-four team match and all hail the Shiranami Offensive!]

Gosh, what an episode. Absolutely wild, chockful of surprises and oh so meme-able! The pacing is faster and so much happened in 20 minutes. Seriously, a lot and wow, I haven’t felt that energized after watching Chihayafuru in a long while. Not that the last couple of episodes were dull or anything, but they kind of lack a certain spark that makes them truly memorable and leaves viewers at the edge of their seats. This is definitely not the case with Chihayafuru #55. As soon as I finished watching, I felt compelled to start writing, and had it not been for the intense workload and pressure at the office, this post would have come out much sooner.

Picking up from where we left off, the match between Chi-chan and Haruka entered its most critical juncture, as Chi-chan snatched back the Chihayafuru, the one card that Sakurazawa never managed to take from the former Queen.

Why she plays karuta

The loss of Chihayafuru was a considerable blow to Haruka, whose inner tumult gave Chi-chan the chance to reduce the card difference and turn the tides in her favor. Facing a fearless young opponent who played with such tranquility and enjoyment, Haruka became trapped by strenuous thoughts of having to “throw off [her opponent’s] pace and not let her have fun”.

Her elder kid is so cute!!!

Instead of making the overly enthused Aki a burden to Haruka and her pursuit of karuta, the narrative took a step far from the beaten track, in turning his curiosity and budding interest into a source of strength and encouragement for the young mom.

The game was momentarily interrupted but it gave Haruka just the needed headspace to recall her karuta origin story. Turns out that her parents were also karuta players and she, along with her sibling, joined their karuta practice ever since they were little. Haruka grew into a successful player, as proven by her holding the Queen title for 4 consecutive years, and became a young mom with two adorable kids. Convention would dictate that she should be satisfied with what she had, with the implication of giving up karuta, akin to a part of herself, to focus on her kids. But that was not the choice that her parents made, and this is the one case where “history repeats itself” does not mean a negative thing.

“But the realization that parents can have something they treasure as much as their kids set me free.”

I am once again blown by the bold and mold-breaking direction taken by Suetsugu-san (the mangaka), and subsequently honored by the animation, with regards to Haruka’s storyline and character. At first glance, Haruka had all the family trappings that, in your run-of-the-mill competition narrative, would have weighed her down and turned her into a past-her-prime mom player. But this is definitely NOT the case here. Previously, we have seen how supportive her husband was of her karuta to the point of sharing in the child-rearing and caretaking responsibilities and how Haruka herself was not content to rest on her laurels. All of that culminates in this episode, where she demonstrates a solid conviction to be a model for her children, to show them that a rewarding lifelong pursuit does not need to come at the cost of family. She plays karuta because she wants to stay true to herself and believes that by not giving up on her passion, she is passing on her parents’ gift to her children - a chance to embark on the journey of self-validation and self-affirmation from a young age.

To this end, there was no other way for Haruka to proceed but to play the karuta that she excels and enjoys. Instead of dwelling on how to break Chi-chan’s momentum, she recovered herself in time to showcase the top-tier hearing that carried her through past games and astonished all.

In a battle over a multiple-syllable card, Haruka emerged victorious when she swiped at Chi-chan’s card after hearing only the first syllable, which, technically, should not be enough to let her know which card the reader was reading: hers or her opponent’s. Yet it was not a grab made in desperation or blind luck. Haruka knew which card was read with dead certainty because she could pick up on the tonal variations of the card reader (who is from the west like her). There was simply no contest possible for Chi-chan in this regard.

Just as the match was about to take a more serious turn, a curveball came out of nowhere in the form of a card being slightly moved upon the reading of a dead card.

A moment of confusion gripped the room as everyone tried to figure out who moved the card.

But for the two persons in question, it was no more than an amusing incident, a much-appreciated reliever of tensions that brought them closer. It is also another instance that highlights Chi-chan’s growing maturity as a karuta player; she would have been so flustered had this been a year earlier. The fact that she could laugh about it and enjoy a bonding moment with her opponent, a former Queen for 4 consecutive times no less, speaks volumes about her mindset and approach to the game. Her little routine of wiping her face, fixing her sleeve ties and hair, and exhaling deeply before returning to the game without a hint of stress viscerally reflected Chi-chan’s inner composure and enjoyment of the game itself.

“I’d thought she’d tense up against a former Queen, but right from the start, and even this close to the end, she’s not getting worked up. Maybe in Ayase’s mind, the only Queen is Wakamiya Shinobu.”

Damn, this moment gave me the shivers. It is precisely why I ship Shinochi - this fleeting yet tenacious connection between two very talented and quirky players, both in search of personal fulfilment through competitive karuta. Previously, Shi-chan found in Chi-chan a promising rival who wants nothing more than going head to head against a Queen that went all out. In Shi-chan, Chi-chan found an indomitable will to aspire to, a constant source of inspiration that buoys her up at challenging moments. If Chi-chan can face Shi-chan after a merciless match and came out all the more gratified for it, then how can she lose heart in front of an opponent lesser than the latter?

What puts the cherry on the top for me is how these insightful observations do not come from the usual sources, like Kana-chan, Tsutomu, Taichi or more recently, Sakurazawa-sensei, but from Nishida. The fact that he could grasp this facet of Chi-chan’s psyche so well speaks to the bonds between Mizusawa karuta club members. It’s a very beautiful and understated way of showing how much they care for one another’s progress.

“This is it, Taichi”

“Even Wakamiya Shinobu isn’t invincible.”

Mentions of Shi-chan and her defeat at the hand of Arata made for a smooth transition into Arata’s unanticipated loss against the unfavorably compared Tsuboguchi. The latter’s victory was such a major upset that left everyone dumbfounded in the most hilarious of ways.

LOL, look at their faces. I absolutely DID NOT foresee this turn of event at all, too. Kinda bet on Chi-chan facing Arata in their first official match in this tournament. Turned out that would have to wait.

Me very glad that it was not an actual bet me made. Would be a major loss here lmao. Who would have thought that Arata would lose here, to high school karuta coach Tsuboguchi-san of all people, cursed or not by the latter’s student?

Nothing seemed to go according to plan for opponents of the Shiranami Society. Murao-kun, Arata’s senpai, managed a win against Harada-sensei, but at great expense to his stamina. Imagine the kind of unyielding battle Harada-sensei must have waged against this much younger player, to have brought the card gap from 10 down to 4 at the end.

It was a vicious tug of war for Chi-chan and Taichi, both locked in a tie against their opponents. At a juncture where many would play cautiously, our beloved President and Vice President persisted with the Shiranami-famous offensive style, living on the edge as their sensei and senpai would have it.

The imagery is a little silly in how it made Harada-sensei and Tsuboguchi-san the dearly departed, instead of the still kicking members of the Shiranami Society; but the emphasis on the bond between all members and the influence they had on each other’s mentality, playstyle and decisions rendered depth to the story, neatly harking back to the team-tournament spirit espoused by Harada-sensei before the quarter-finals, as well as to the desire to stay true to oneself in karuta, as embraced by Haruka at the episode’s beginning.

Chi-chan ended the game victoriously on the poignant note of “Since I could not hide my love” (remember when Taichi himself pulled through the class A ascension game with this same card?) and promptly fell into sleep on the spot, to the joy and dismay of Kana-chan and Nishida. The only match undecided left was Taichi’s, and as per his usual luck, it came down to a luck of the draw, again. Good thing this was not a cliffhanger cos I was literally holding on to my tea mug for support.

Feels like Taichi is becoming a Master on his own at luck of the draw...

The instant the reader started reciting, Taichi reached for the card on Sudo-san’s side, before the latter even reacted. It was not that he could hear a decisive sound as the basis for his judgement. It was simply a move borne out of much arduous experience.

Lmao, it was too outrageous even for Sudo-san.

Regardless, GO, Taichiiiiii!!!! *exhaled in relief* Semi-finals, here we come!

Well, before the semi-finals was a somewhat out-of-the-blue segue about Chi-chan’s mother, who sought to juggle between doing her own work and supporting her daughters in their career/pursuit.

It did find its way back to an unconscious Chi-chan cradled in the arms of friends but still, bit disjointed, albeit an interesting glimpse at the dynamics among the Ayase women.

“I’ll take the loss by default.”

In another surprising turn of event - well not the post-march dead-to-the-world Chi-chan, Hiroshi chose to lose by default to Chi-chan, instead of making her lose by not being able to show up for the match. Certainly one may chalk this up to team spirit but that would not be ... sufficient. Hiroshi’s concern for Chi-chan - “just let Chihaya-chan sleep” felt very brotherly, which is nice because it didn’t seem like she was showered with enough familial care and affection at home.

Taichi is a different story though. It’s not that Hiroshi did not care for Taichi but like a big brother, he knows exactly which button to push to get his sibling fire up, the way he did back at the Omi Jingu team tournament as a karuta high school coach. Hiroshi knew that Taichi needed someone to acknowledge his efforts and progress without sugarcoating the thornier parts.

“Most people here think you’re just a kid who rode a wave of momentum to get here.”

As Hiroshi rightly said, Taichi could never rely on momentum or luck, but pure skill. This helped to bolster his spirit but also placed the weight of expectations on him, as someone with the skill. Thankfully, he was motivated by the fact that Arata would be watching him - a chance to show Arata what he could do now.

An easy win is not gonna help Taichi mentally and I think that’s partly why he said that he would not have yielded to Taichi, the way he did to Chi-chan, in response to Harada-sensei’s question. Certainly, rivalry also fueled this answer but at the core of it is Hiroshi’s desire to show that he takes Taichi seriously as well as his deep awareness of Taichi’s inferiority complex.

“This is my first time watching Taichi play.”

Gosh, that cute chuckle of Arata. This is, if memory serves me well, the first time that we got to see Arata showing an interest purely in Taichi, without being occupied by other considerations such as forming his own karuta club or joining group tournaments. His flashback was of the few interactions with Taichi that did not directly involve Chi-chan too - the incident with Arata’s glasses in their early days and Taichi’s tsundere attitude towards playing karuta with his childhood friends. I personally enjoy very much these brief moments of camaraderie between Taichi and Arata and look forward to more of them, be it in the rest of season 3 anime or in the post-s3 chapters of the manga. There is a lot of potential to flesh out meaningful character developments from these interactions, not just from Aratachi or Taichihaya moments.

Before getting back to Serious Land™, and I do mean it, cos oh boy the ending, here are Chi-chan’s lovely selves.

I do want to see Chi-chan and Shi-chan decked out in all their goofy glory for a karuta game lol.

The perfect defense

In previous episodes, Taichi has shown a certain affinity towards incorporating others’ techniques into his own mentally rigorous playstyle. Against a Murao-kun whose "simple-minded aggressiveness” has been whittled away by the attrition battle waged by Harada-sensei, Taichi held his own and maintained a large card difference against his opponent, even finding opportunities to test out a new pull-back move (which is Sudo-san’s move right?).

While this battle’s outcome is more or less decided, especially with the large card difference and Chi-chan already being slated for the final, it would be nice to be able to delve deeper into Taichi’s state of mind here. Seemingly in response to the unvoiced question from Tsutomu-kun and Nishida, Taichi mentally pointed to the presence of Arata in the audience, Harada-sensei’s previous whittling effort, and Chi-chan’s absence. I am not quite sure how all these pieces fit together to bring about this version of Taichi; hopefully we will get some insight in the next episode. The most ominous piece is Chi-chan’s absence... considering what several people already said regarding Taichi’s performance in her absence.

In the meantime, Harada-sensei clearly sensed that in spite of the offensive karuta he was taught, it is defensive karuta that increasingly defined his playstyle and brought him victory this time. I vaguely recalled someone already making an observation to similar effect, was it Sakurazawa-sensei, during the team tournament in season 2?

And here we go, the match that has been hinted at for quite sometime now - an official match between Taichi and Chi-chan!!

Chi-chan certainly is the better player and she has proved herself against very strong players, from Queen candidates to actual Queens, so I think there should be no surprise as to the final outcome of this match. Nonetheless, I am certain that Suetsugu-san would not have this important turning point to be without its share of twists and drama.

Can Taichi hold his own against Chi-chan? Will he lose to himself? And more importantly, what will he do to improve his karuta, especially the defensive playstyle, in the aftermath? I eagerly await the next episode (or episodes, since the match may take longer) and what it has in store for Taichi.

Before ending this post, I just wanna drop a quick note for all readers, new or regular (gosh, do I have any left after more than a year of hiatus). Thank you so much for your support and I am sorry for disappearing for so long. Life has been putting me through the wringer ever since and drained me of any interest in putting out my own written word. This is not the first time this happened, unfortunately. But regardless of my pre-occupations, be it professional, gaming or anime-wise, I remain invested in seeing my series of posts on Chihayafuru to its completion. So buckle up, cos this train is resuming service, to the next episode of Chihayafuru and beyond!

#natsumi talks #Chihayafuru #chihayafuru marathon #chihayafuru anime #chihayafuru season 3 #chihayafuru s3 #Chihaya Ayase #ayase chihaya #Mashima Taichi #Taichi Mashima #taichimashima4tw #Wataya Arata #Arata Wataya

7 notes · View notes

typingtess · 1 year

Text

Tiptoeing through the “New Beginnings” guest cast

Bar Paly as Anastasia "Anna" Kolchek Back from visiting the wedding planner in "Shame" in early March.

Ava McCoy as Jordyn Rountree Last seen hanging with her brother, Fatima and FBI Special Agent Summer Morehurst in late March's "Sleeping Dogs".

Richard Gant as Raymond Hanna While mentioned often, this is Raymond's first appearance since the Hanna family reunion in "Dead Stick" last fall.

Written by: Kyle Harimoto & R. Scott Gemmill Kyle Harimoto wrote "Omni", "Merry Evasion", "Chernoff, K" (season six finale), "Command and Control" as episode 150, "Granger, O.", "Ghost Gun", "Kulinda", "767", "Se Murio El Payaso", "Assets"/"Liabilities", "Venganza", "Superhuman", "One of Us", "Let Fate Decide" (season 11 premiere), "Decoy", "Answers" , "Watch Over Me", "Cash Flow", "Fukushu", "Bonafides", "Come Together" (season 13 finale) and "Of Value". He co-wrote "Three Hearts", "Leipei", "Humbug", both ends of the "Matryoshka" two-parter (part one with Gemmill), "Smokescreen" part two, "Searching", "A Fait Acompli", "A Tale of Two Igors" (season 12 finale, with Gemmill) and "Best Seller".

R. Scott Gemmill wrote/cowrote "The Only Easy Day", "Brimstone", "Breach", "LD50", "Found", "Borderline", "Absolution", "Archangel", "Tin Soldiers", "Impostors", "Cyberthreat", "Honor", "The Watchers" and both sides of the NCIS Los: Angeles/Hawaii Five-0 "Touch of Death" episodes, "Recruit", "Free Ride", "Wanted", "Ravens and The Swans", "Impact", "War Cries", both ends of the "Deep Trouble" season five finale/season six premiere, "Inelegant Heart", "Praesidium", "Traitor", "Active Measures" (season seven premiere), "Blame It On Rio", "Internal Affairs", "Matryoshka" part one (with Harimoto), "Talion" (season seven finale), "High Value Target"/"Belly of the Beast" (season eight premieres), "The Queen’s Gambit", "Under Siege", "Unleashed" (season eight finale), "Party Crashers" (season nine’s premiere), "This Is What We Do" (episode 200), "Các Tù Nhân", "Goodbye Vietnam", "Ninguna Salida" (the season nine finale), "Hit List", "Asesinos", "Till Death Do Us Part", "Choke Point", "The Guardian", "Hail Mary", "Kill Beale Vol. 1", "Alsiyadun", "Fortune Favors the Brave", "The Bear" (season 12 premiere), "Angry Karen", "Love Kills", "Russia, Russia, Russia", "The Noble Maidens", "A Tale of Two Igors" (season 12 finale with Harimoto), "Subject 17" (season 13 premiere), "All The Little Things", "MWD", Work and Family", "Game of Drones" and "A Long Time Coming". Directed by: John P. Kousakis directed "Imposters", "Sacrifice", "San Voir" part one, "The Fifth Man", "Parley", "Inelegant Heart", "Chernoff, K." (season six finale), "Active Measures", "The Long Goodbye", "Talion" (season seven finale), "Glasnost", "Unleashed" (season 8 finale), "Party Crashers" (season nine premiere), "This Is What We Do" (episode 200), "Goodbye Vietnam", "Ninguna Salida" (season nine finale), "The Guardian", "High Society", "A Tale of Two Igors" (season 12 finale), "Under the Influence", "Genesis", "Come Together" (season 13 finale), "A Farewell to Arms", all of the Afghanistan scenes from "Iron Curtain Rising" to "Zero Days" in season five and all of Kensi’s injury/recovery storyline scenes from "The Queen’s Gambit" to "Sirens" in season eight.

#tiptoeing #NCIS: Los Angeles #NCIS: LA #NCIS Los Angeles #ncis la

12 notes · View notes

fantomcomics · 1 year

Text

What’s Out This Week? 3/22

Our Spring Cleaning Figure sale is happening RIGHT NEOW! Come grab the ones you’ve been eyeing before someone else does!

The Adventures Of Cthulhu Jr & Friends TP - Dirk Manning & Scoot McMahon

When a wannabe supervillain is charged with capturing the son of Cthulhu (who just happened to move in across the street for the summer) in order to be admitted into the League of E.V.I.L., hilarity, hijinks, and horror ensues! Both adults and kids alike will find a lot to enjoy in this original graphic novel hailed as "A great comic for all ages!" by Sci-Fi and Scary!

All Talk GN - Bartosz Sztybor & Akeussel

Rahim is a suburban kid like any other, a "good kid." Chilling with his boys, hearing the legends of "Immortal Al," the greatest gangster who ever lived, it's hard not to get stars in his eyes. Rahim starts dreaming of becoming a kingpin, idolizing his local gangsters in the hopes of climbing their ranks. But his friends laugh: they say he's all talk, no action. Until one day, he sees an opportunity to prove himself.

Belle Of The Ball GN - Mari Costa

High-school senior Hawkins finally works up the courage to remove her mascot mask and ask out her longtime crush: Regina Moreno, head cheerleader, academic overachiever, and all-around popular girl. There's only one teensy little problem: Regina is already dating Chloe Kitagawa, athletic all-star... and middling English student. Regina sees a perfectly self-serving opportunity here, and asks the smitten Hawkins to tutor Chloe free of charge, knowing Hawkins will do anything to get closer to her. And while Regina's plan works at first, she doesn't realize that Hawkins and Chloe knew each other as kids, when Hawkins went by Belle and wore princess dresses to school every single day. Before long, romance does start to blossom, but not between whom you might expect.

Colonel Weird & Little Andromeda TP - Tate Brombal & Ray Fawkes

Space-faring adventurer Colonel Weird sets forth on a journey to save his superhero colleagues from their rural purgatory by entering the Para-zone only to find himself paired with the much much younger Doctor Andromeda on a series of fantastical adventures through assorted worlds and dimensions.

Comics For Choice: Illustrated Abortion Stories 2nd Edition - Sophia Foster-Dimino

Comics for Choice is an anthology of comics about abortion. Over 60 artists and writers have created comics that share their own experiences, and educate readers on the history of abortion, current political struggles, activism, and more. This updated edition includes additional comics that address the changing landscape of abortion rights.

Creepshow Vol 1 TP - Chris Burnham & Adriano Lucas

"The horror fix that fans of the Shudder anthology series have come to expect and appreciate." -CBR The worldwide phenomenon based on the hit Shudder TV series comes to comics with a collection of can't-miss horror that anthology critics are screaming about! An all-star roster of comics creators brings readers ten uniquely terrifying standalone stories guaranteed to SCARE YOU TO DEATH!

The Dead Lucky Vol 1 TP - Melissa Flores & French Carlomagno

San Francisco is changing. Tech consortium MORROW is buying up land, their peacekeeper robots looming on every corner-and wherever Morrow isn't, the local gangs are. Bibiana Lopez-Yang is changing too. The incident in Afghanistan that killed her platoon left her able to control electricity-and haunted by the ghosts of those she lost. With some unlikely friends, Bibi might just have a chance to save her city. But against an enemy this powerful, it won't be enough to be good. She'll have to be lucky.

Dead Romans #1 (of 6) - Fred Kennedy & Nick Marinkovich

Arminius, a Germanic prince raised in Rome, has sworn vengeance against the Empire that butchers his people. He wants to make a queen of the woman he loves, Honoria, a fellow slave. Now, fifty thousand Romans will die to give her a throne she never asked for...or wanted. Lush, beautiful illustrations bring to life a brutal tale of love and war from the birth of the Roman Empire.

Ephemera HC - Briana Loewinsohn

A debut graphic novel that poignantly blends memoir, magic realism, and graphic medicine. Ephemera is a poetic and dreamlike take on a graphic memoir set in a garden, a forest, and a greenhouse. The story drifts among a grown woman, her early memories as a child, and the gossamer existence of her mother. A lyrical entry in the field of graphic medicine, Ephemera is a story about a daughter trying to relate to a parent who struggles with mental illness. Gorgeously illustrated, it is a quiet book of isolation, plants, confusion, acceptance, and the fog of childhood.

In Limbo GN - Deb JJ Lee

A debut YA graphic memoir about a Korean-American girl's coming-of-age story-and a coming home story-set between a New Jersey suburb and Seoul, South Korea.

Ever since Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee emigrated from South Kora to the United States, she's felt her otherness. For a while, her English wasn't perfect. Her teachers can't pronounce her Korean name. Her face and her eyes-especially her eyes-feel wrong. In high school, everything gets harder. Friendships change and end, she falls behind in classes, and fights with her mom escalate. Caught in limbo, with nowhere safe to go, Deb finds her mental health plummeting, resulting in a suicide attempt. But Deb is resilient and slowly heals with the help of art and self-care, guiding her to a deeper understanding of her heritage and herself.

Joe Death & The Graven Image TP - Benjamin Schipper

Somewhere between Mignola and A Fistful of Dollars, this tale is an adventurous take on the existential hitman. Set against a dreamy western backdrop populated by witches, spirits, ghouls, and other monsters, Joe Death explores what it means for Death to undo what he does best. More importantly, what is the cost for salvation?

Life Is Strange: Steph’s Story SC Novel - Roslee Thor

The official origin story of Life is Strange fan-favorite Steph Gingrich featuring LGBTQ+ romance, inevitable heartbreak, and the punk-rock beginnings of Drugstore Makeup.

Little Guardians TP Vol 1 - Ed Cho & Lee Cherolis

When a strange spirit panther starts following Subira around she realizes she may be more than just the local shop girl. The village she lives in is under constant threat from monsters, and the appointed guardian, Tane, can't save everyone alone. Little does Subira know she is actually Tane's daughter and should be fighting alongside him. Can she discover the truth behind her connection to the spirit world in time to help save her village? Combining humor with big adventure Little Guardians is a fun-filled all-ages romp for everyone.

Meesh & The Bad Demon Vol 1 GN - Michelle Lam

A tale of unlikely heroes and myths are made real in this debut graphic novel series about a "bad" demon trying to find her place in the underworld-but she'll have to save it first! Meesh is a bad demon. "Bad" in that she always sees the good in those around her-which isn't how a demon is meant to feel or act. Bullied by the other demons, twelve-year-old Meesh is more likely to be found reading magazines from Plumeria City-the fairy realm-and fangirling about the fairy princesses. But when disaster strikes and all of demon-kind is threatened, Meesh must journey to other worlds in search of help. As luck would have it, she meets a fairy princess right away. Things in the fairy realm aren't so perfect either, though. There's much more to being a demon than she ever realized, and learning to love herself might just uncover the secret to saving her home.

The Neighbors #1 (of 5) - Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Letizia Cadonici & Miguel Mercado

When Janet and Oliver Gowdie move to a quaint mountain town, their daughter Casey becomes part of a horrific chain of events revealing that their neighbors are anything but what they seem. Soon an unsettling old woman named Agnes Early fixates on Janet and Oliver's other daughter-2-year-old Isobel. It becomes clear that it's impossible to know who to trust... or who is even still human... Steeped in Irish and English folklore and mythology, Jude Ellison S. Doyle (Maw) joins artist Letizia Cadonici (House of Slaughter), and colorist Alessandro Santoro (Bloom) to tread new ground in changeling horror. A tale perfect for fans of Eat the Rich and The Nice House on the Lake!

Pixies Of The Sixties: You Really Got Me Now TP - Gihef, Giulio Macaione & Alberto Zanon

In the 1960s U.K., With Swinging London underway, Fairies enter the light of day! Anann: The story of a young fairy who, drawn by the lights of Swinging London, leaves her forest to pursue her dreams of becoming a singer. She meets Stella, a human with whom she quickly falls in love. But her lover's disappearance will make Anann realize that beneath the glitz and glamour of the city, rejection is only a tiny part of what awaits her... Ailith: When she arrives in London to investigate a case of missing persons linked to a strange rite, Ailith gladly accepts help from her childhood friend, Elliot, a police officer who expresses clear Anti-fairy opinions and blames them for all the major problems in London. When the investigation entrusted to Ailith leads her to the heart of the forest, she makes a most disturbing discovery, uncovering with it a deeply buried wound.

Chilling Adventures: Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe of Horrors One-Shot - Amy Chase, Frederico Sabbatini & Adam Gorham

Pop Tate is the glue holding Riverdale together, whether everyone realizes or not. His Chocklit Shoppe is the beating heart of the city, where everyone can stop in for a delicious bite and some safe haven-even the worst sorts. And not just the run-of-the-mill rapscallions who recently broke the jukebox. When a young Riverdale couple (Nick St. Clair and Sherry Thyme) attempt to dine and dash on the humble small business owner, they quickly discover the fryer grease isn't the only heart-stopping thing about the Chocklit Shoppe. From tales of mystery meat to the unnatural visitors that dine late at night, this anthology tells stories about the horrors that happen at Riverdale's beloved malt shop-and how Pop Tate is at the center of it all, the most powerful figure in Riverdale providing haven to all sorts of terrors and underhanded villainy.

Popscars #1 (of 6) - Pat O'Malley & Santi Guillen

Popscars is a gritty Hollywood revenge story about a vigilante badass in a pink ski mask and the famous Hollywood movie producer she is out to kill, who also happens to be her estranged father. In Hollywood revenge is best served in front of an audience. As our pink ski masked killer pushes her way through a Hollywood crowd, prepared to take her shot at her movie producer father, she's quickly swept into a brand new revenge plot orchestrated by her own unsuspecting target.

Sugar & Other Stories GN - Joy San

An amoral creature ensures a girl's blood sugar stays up. A gory ritual creates a woman's perfect smile. An overworked wife is subsumed by violent fantasies. In this collection of short horror comics, Joy San masterfully explores the ways in which we contort ourselves, balancing the bloody with unexpected levity.

The Wicked Ones #1 - LJ Duey, Paulo Mel & David Mack

After being orphaned in a mass witch burning orchestrated by the US government, Celia Jordan grew up to be Washington DC's darkest secret-she's now wreaks havoc as the city's resident witch... and its most sought-after contract killer. When a politician hires her to kill a beloved and powerful superhero, Celia hesitates, but not for long. No one has been able to catch her yet-why would they now? Featuring a breathtaking cover by world reknowned artist, David Mack.

West Of Sundown TP Vol 1 - Aaron Campbell, Tim Seeley &Jim Terry

A beautiful vampire must flee monster slayers in New York City and reclaim the ancestral soil that restores her undead flesh. But the world has changed since she was reborn in the New Mexico desert, and now, Constance Der Abend and her loyal assistant Dooley , must adapt to life in the rough frontier town of Sangre De Moro, where all sorts of monsters have settled.

Whatcha scooping up this week, Fantomites?

4 notes · View notes

hraeth-ethile · 2 years

Text

House De Mérida is a historic Badajoz family from Mérida, Spain that hails itself as one of the oldest cadet branches in living history. Its origins are disputed between Cato Octavius and Gaius Octavius, but historical evidence favours Cato Octavius of gens Octavia - making House De Mérida the only family in the world that can directly trace its ancestry to the family of a Roman Emperor. This is in large part due to the record-keeping capabilities of gens Expentania, which began in response to the Crisis of the Third Century. Gens Expentania's continuous archival work gave historians a first-hand account of the decline of the Western Roman Empire from before the decline itself, but was still not spared from it. What survived, however, was gens Expentania's traditions of raising at least one archivist in every generation, which broguht to the rise of one of Spain's first noble house: House Hierro. Buenaventura Hierro, who founded the house, worked as the adjutant and keeper of legacies for the Queen of León and was granted land and a noble title for this.

Hermenegildo Juan Pablo de Mérida, who acted as head archivist of House Hierro during the Third Crusade, was granted cadet rights and noble status for his work. He moved his family from León to Mérida to teach people how to read and write, and to write and sell books.

Hermenegildo, a chain of small medieval-themed bookstores in Madrid and Lisbon, are based wholesale on his long history of education and parchment-making. 1% of all proceeds go to the modern House De Mérida.

Since the death of Hermenegildo Juan Pablo de Mérida in 1220, there have been many historic figures who were part of the cadet branch, earning its nickname el pequeño pueblo con gigantes (the little town with giants) for the relatively very small number of living members compared to any other European noble house (11-1), and for how many of each of its members went on to perform some kind of feat of valour or somewise note of greatness.

The first most noteworthy figure to rise since the dynasty of Hermenegildo de Mérida was feline explorer-soldier Custodio de Mérida - a Renaissance-era freedom fighter who used his expertise to defeat, kill, and humiliate bandits and highwaymen along the trade routes between Southern France and Northern Italy.

The last since Custodio was the Spanish colonial affairs advisor Julio César y Santo Pedro de Mérida, whose only living heir was granted the right to form a new cadet branch, which he named in honour of his father (House de Mérida y César) after receiving the news of his deeds - despite the Spanish Empire's threat of sanctioning if he did. Julio César perished from a heart attack brought on by starvation while defending the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida, after stealing it from the Spanish during a local coup attempt that he helped plan and initiate.

The family home is located in the Toño Building on the west bank of the Guadiana River in Mérida, Spain. The original family house, from the Hermenegildo Dynasty, was located in Mérida's urban central but burned down during anti-fascist actions taken against Francoist Spain. The current head of House De Mérida is Tomás II de Mérida - a financial advisor and stud farmer. Tomás' great-grandaunt, Judit Teresa de Mérida y César, is the current head of its cadet branch.

#Hraeth Ethile #HEW #History #Culture #Bloodlines

0 notes

lipsyncforyourlife · 2 years

Text

Kornbread Shares Her Recipe For Success + "Big Opening No. 2" Recap (Issue #2)

View online

The RuPaul's Drag Race Official Newsletter

In this week’s newsletter, we look back at “Big Opening # 2,” unpack the latest Untucked, and share an exclusive interview with Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté. Don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned for all of the latest Drag Race updates!

You know what they say: Behind every “Big Opening” is another opening that’s… just as big! That’s right, it’s the second half of our Season 14 split premiere, “Big Opening # 2,” introducing us to seven more exciting queens from across the country vying to be America’s Next Drag Superstar. Cameron Scheetz here, thrilled to be back, back, back, back again to break it all down for you.

In retrospect, these dual premieres have been a total delight, letting us get to know this diverse crop of queens on their own terms. With part two, Drag Race tweaks the previous week’s formula just a bit to keep us on our toes. For example, the Lip Sync For The Crown Wheel heads back into storage (for now) in favor of a massive bowl of orange Tic Tacs, and it’s hilarious to watch the queens writhe around in it as they play to the camera for the Mini challenge photoshoot. The CNTs return as our Maxi challenge—once again a branding task as much as it is a talent show—this time with the lovely Alicia Keys on hand to guest judge and lend her breakout hit “Fallin” to a more mid-tempo Lip Sync For Your Life than usual.

Last week we recapped the premiere by discussing first impressions of the newest RuGirls, so join me again as talk season 14 episode 2, queen by queen…

First Impressions: More Queens Of Season 14

Jorgeous

“I might be small but I do pack a big punch”

Okay, Jorgeous is legit gorgeous. At 21, the vivacious Nashville-by-way-of-San Antonio showgirl may be this season’s youngest competitor, but she boasts she’s been doing drag since she was 16 (for those who hate math: That’s five years of drag), and the stage experience shows. Mama, this is a performer, one who set a high bar this episode, both in terms of Werk Room entrances and in the CNTs with her scorching Dua Lipa dance number (“Yes bitch!,” said RuPaul—I agree). As Michelle Visage correctly noted, Jorgeous delivers everything with a flourish, but it never feels like a put-on—there’s a natural sparkle to this dazzling queen that just feels, well, legit.

DeJa Skye

“I’m here to let you know: Embrace the curve, people”

Though she may hail from Fresno, “the armpit” of California, DeJa Skye brings a bright and bubbly energy to Drag Race; she’s the pastel princess, after all! As the first up for this week’s photoshoot Mini challenge, DeJa handled herself well opposite Ru’s Tic Tac Tirade (which goes from horrifying to perplexing to hilarious—you’ve gotta love when Ru commits to a bit!), and that patience may stem from her other gig as a cheer and dance choreographer for kids. The day job also informed her unique routine for the CNTs that, unfortunately, left the judges wanting more. Thankfully, DeJa was serving in her cerulean and lace runway piece, which looked even better in motion during the LSFYL as she found a dynamic way to interpret the power of “Fallin’,” earning her keep in the competition.

Jasmine Kennedie

“Oh this, y’all, is just the entry look”

Cue Yuhua Hamasaki: “Five One New York girls!” In a rare turn, this season’s cast features just a single queen from NYC, one who—thanks to a strong premiere—seems to be representing her city just fine on her own. Jasmine Kennedie exudes confidence, from her matter-of-fact Werk Room entrance line (one of the most memorable from the group) to her jaw-dropping, leg-throwing dance routine set to Fifth Harmony’s “I’m In Love With A Monster” (I’m cackling that she made a song originally written for Hotel Transylvania 2 this sexy). And the judges just ate it all up, lauding her with comparisons to Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls’ Edy Williams, The Queen, and the dancing queen Alyssa Edwards. That’s some high praise!

Maddy Morphosis

“I don’t feel the need to clarify my sexuality. I really want the first impression that the girls have of me to be my drag.”

Straight outta Flavortown, Maddy Morphosis entered the Werk Room with an ode to King Of The Straights, Guy Fieri, making a bold statement for her community. Pitching herself as a southern-fried camp and comedy queen, Maddy opted to sit on her secret and not reveal her sexuality, only to be “outed” by Ru later during Walk Throughs, which prompted a shocked but warm reception from the other girls. It’s one of many surprises she had in store for the episode, including some bluesy, live electric guitar playing and a total gag of a runway look that had the judges’ heads rolling. It’s an intriguing start, and we’ll be excited to watch her bring that level of inventiveness throughout the season!

Angeria Paris VanMicheals

“If it’s drag you want, then I’ve got lots of it.”

Miss Angie was not lying when she said she didn’t come here to play! There’s a real finesse to this Atlanta doll’s drag as she shows that being a proud pageant queen doesn’t mean you can only serve stately glamour. She kept it funny and fresh all episode long, wooing us with her Southern charm, making that giant Tic Tac bowl her bitch in the Mini challenge, and wowing in that wine-colored runway gown. Ultimately, it was the electrifying CNT performance that secured the bag for Angeria, a non-stop barrage of drag excellence (that lyrical “check”-list, in particular, was brilliant—almost immediately encouraging Ru to sing along). Look out, girls: With a Mini and a Maxi win under her belt, Angeria Paris VanMicheals pulls ahead as our early frontrunner.

Lady Camden

“When I’m in drag, I sort of live in my 90s pop princess fantasy. There’s always something that’s a little tacky, but just tacky enough.”

Well Bing Bang Bong, there’s a proper UK hun on Drag Race “original recipe!” No, this isn’t an ambitious Ru-verse crossover—that’s coming later this year in the form of Drag Race UK Vs. The World—Lady Camden is a North London-born queen who now calls Sacramento home (again, cue Yuhua: “Two Northern California girls!”). Almost immediately, she sparked up some flirty chemistry with her season 14 sisters, and she brings that same effusive sense of fun to her drag, which is colorful and eclectic, like a candy-coated Spice Girl. Lady Camden really showed us what she’s got in the CNT performance, a Center Stage-inspired ballet number that manages to be high energy, sexy, funny, and technically proficient. This dancer’s got the legs to go far.

Daya Betty

“Daya’s a rockstar and she’s the rockstar’s girlfriend, shoved together with a safety pin shoved through it.”

Daya Betty strutted into the Werk Room with a fine-tuned aesthetic and a magnetic presence that felt comfortably familiar. Why might that be? Because she’s the drag sister/daughter of season 12’s beloved Crystal Methyd (during this reveal, the show couldn’t resist an El DeBarge “Rhythm of The Night” needle-drop). The two Springfield, MO dolls share an artful eye—and even a shockingly similar way of speaking—so Daya knew she’d have a lot to live up to. But as RuPaul warned her, Daya’s energetic lip-sync performance for the Maxi challenge just didn’t tell the judges enough about her, and she was sent home after the LSFYL. And it’s a damn shame; considering the way Crystal really hit her stride in the second half of her season, we imagine Daya still had plenty of killer drag to offer.

Burning Questions

Candy Bar Watch

Another week, another sashay! It definitely feels strange—and more than a little sad—to say goodbye to these queens so quickly, especially distinctive talents like Orion and Daya. But my gut says it’s not the end of the road for them, not yet at least. Again, I’m just your dedicated newsletter writer and I’m watching along with you, so I don’t know any more than the rest of the world. But, given that the two premiere groups are set to merge together next week, I can’t imagine anyone would be sent packing without the opportunity to meet all of their season 14 sisters. It’s a hunch!

So what twists could possibly await us? We’re on Candy Bar Watch, as we wait to see how those teased “one-of-a-kind” treats might shake up the competition this season. Given the long-delayed reveal of All Stars 6’s game-within-a-game, I’m not necessarily expecting them to appear any time soon, but you never know! Could the candy bars offer Orion and/or Daya a way back into the competition?

Maddy Antoinette

Certainly Maddy’s bloody good regal runway look was one of the most memorable of the night—Michelle praised it as “so stupid” and “full on crazy drag.” It’s also an impressive technical feat, leaving me wondering how the “mechanics” of it work underneath the dress. Is she crouching while walking down the runway? Is she holding her arms up above her chest? She appears to be kneeling during critiques, which you can spot in wider shots, but I still don’t get it: Maddy, how are you pulling this off?

Guest Judge Favorites

Do I sense a trend? In the first two weeks of the competition, each of our winners were shown to have established something of a connection with the guest judges. Week one saw Kornbread—the self-proclaimed Number 1 Lizzo impersonator in LA—wow in a Lizzo-inspired runway, coupled with an incredible original number that earned respect from the musician (“Don’t be comin’ for my girl Kornbread!”). This week, Angeria gets emotional sharing how much Alicia Keys inspires her, while Ms. Keys later heralds the queen as one of her favorites: “There’s a spirit there that I really can connect to, there’s a polish that feels very exciting.”

Both of our winners turned it out in their respective weeks and really deserved the top prizes, so this is merely a coincidence, but it’s a fun parallel to make note of! Personally, I’m going to keep an eye on who clicks best with the guest judges moving forward though.

Next Week: Bring It To The Ball

All 12 remaining queens meet for the first time to compete in one of Drag Race‘s signature challenges, the ball (the longest running challenge in the show’s herstory). That means they’ll be serving looks on looks on looks, as it’s likely we’ll see 36 different runaway presentations across three yet-to-be-revealed categories. The episode should also highlight this season’s craftiest queens as they’re often tasked to create their final looks on the spot, so fire up those sewing machines!

The Other Half Of The Story

You know the drill: If you’re not watching, Untucked, well, you’re missing out, babe! Let’s shout out a few of the most notable moments form this week’s episode.

The curse of high expectations! During Walk Throughs, Ru told DeJa how much he enjoyed her audition tape, singling her out as a queen he knew could excel in the competition. That made the Maxi challenge critiques hit that much harder for DeJa, and she got emotional while reflecting with the girls in Untucked, sharing her fear that she disappointed Ru. But she received a nice pep talk from her Northern California sister, Lady Camden, who knows audiences at home are going to fall in love with DeJa.

When the conversation turned to the queens’ childhoods, Lady Camden and Jasmine both shared memories in which they were afraid to be themselves, or had to fight for acceptance, especially as young queer kids. It’s a touching moment that allowed them all to feel a sense of accomplishment just to have made it into the competition—regardless of any individual’s critiques this week—and be proud of the people they’ve become.

A funny thing happened with the music during this chat about queerness, where it got slightly more dramatic every time the camera cut to Maddy, who of course has had a different experience as a straight drag queen. But she showed she’s really put the work in, acknowledging her privilege, and sharing how drag has made her a better ally. And it was a nice reminder that her journey hasn’t been a walk in the park either, saying, “There’s like a million different ways to be queer, but then growing up you’re taught there’s only one way to be straight.” It’s sweet to watch them all find some common ground.

The Serve-ey: Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté

Each week, we’ll get to learn more about one of the queens of season 14 when they take our brief questionnaire, a.k.a. The Serve-ey. They’ll all get the same six questions, and then we’ll throw in one final “wildcard” question just for fun. First up: We hope you’re hungry because it’s our conversation with Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté!

1. In keeping with the season promo’s board game theme: What was your favorite game growing up and why?

Hands down, Uno. I am extremely competitive when it comes to games. Everybody always says Uno makes or breaks a friendship, it can make or break a family, and I am brutal when it comes to Uno, I am on a mission. One of my friends—I call them Japan, that’s his nickname—we’re like super competitive to this day when it comes to Uno. So, then and now, it’s Uno, one-hundred percent.

So you’re saying you have lost friends to Uno before?

Everybody wants to be my friend, so I think they just accept their losing streak at this point.

2. How would you say the city you’re from helped define your drag?

Honestly, Los Angeles—like, I’m a born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, and I definitely didn’t do drag there. I didn’t know what drag was when I was in South Carolina. I had encountered many drag queens, but just never thought about it.

LA’s drag scene is very intense in the best way possible, I would say. It’s a lot of hard work. In order to stand out in LA, you definitely have to put in the work for it. A lot of people don’t know: Before I started drag, I went and I watched shows for a year just to study, to see what LA had and what LA didn’t have, and what can I hone in on myself to bring to it? There’s so many drag queens and are so many drag shows in Los Angeles—there has to be something that makes you stand out. So I had to make sure I had my own spin on things. And there’s two parts to LA: There’s the West Hollywood scene, and there’s the downtown Los Angeles scene, and I’m lucky to be a part of both of those places—I do the same exact thing in both places, which is pretty rare here. I get to do both, I do what I want to do and how I want to. So I think LA’s drive and the amount of people here forces you to change your outlook on drag and makes you try a lot harder.

Now I have this image of you in the corner of a bar at a show with a notepad, just writing down everything you see…

Basically! Because I would just record all the performances. And I was like, “OK, this girl performs Top 40, this girl is a dancing queen, this girl is comedy…” But I was like, “No one is incorporating full storytelling moments.” I’m a musical theater major, so the science to my numbers is always to find a musical theater number that I enjoy, and I’ll use the beginning of the song to, like, map everything out. But then I’ll find Top 40 songs—or just songs in general—that have the same meaning as the song I’m using. In that way, it appeals to the audience as well as to my musical theater people. That’s how I make my mixes and stuff. There’s a science!

3. With this season’s candy bar twist, I’m curious: If you were a piece of candy, what kind would you be?

Oh, now that’s a complicated question—I eat so much candy. Honestly, let’s just do it like this: I’d be a magic candy, call it The Mood Bar. So, when you bite into this candy bar, whatever mood you’re in at that moment in time, that’s what it tastes like. Because there are some days where I’m like, “Ooh, I’m feeling my chocolate fantasy,” or, “You know what? I’m feeling real fruity today!” So I would be a mood bar; you bite into it [and it’s] whatever you’re feeling that day, like a mood ring, you know?

4. What can you tell us about your “confessional” interview look? How did you decide what to wear? What do you think it says about your style out of drag?

A lot of people didn’t know, but, before I came to Drag Race, I was not open about it, but I started my transition before I came to Drag Race—a very, very short [time] before I came to Drag Race. So I was like, “I refuse to sit in these confessionals, these interviews, without some hair on my head!” Y’all not going to get me bald, honey, unless it’s on the runway for a look. So I had to get me a good old head wrap because, if I’m not wearing me a nice little piece of wig, it’s going to be a head wrap.

And then I was like, “What makes me look like a sweetheart?” Because, you know, this mouth of mine is very sassy, so I needed something to offset the words that are coming out of my mouth. So I was like, I’ll go for the very much vintage, “oh she goes thrifting” moment—with a little touch [of that.] So that’s where I got this shirt from.

And, fun fact—I won’t get in trouble for this, I promise—but the fried chicken necklace that I wore for the first episode was actually my interview confessional necklace that I was going to wear, for my outfit. But the way things are set up—obviously we wear a microphone and stuff—and the necklace just kept rubbing it. So they were like, “Kornbread, you can’t wear this necklace!” I was like, “Okay, cool, I can’t do it but I’m getting this necklace on this episode somehow.” I threw it on last minute for that challenge and it ended up working.

5. What’s a fun fact you can share about one of your season 14 sisters that might surprise the fans?

Ooh, okay: She may be a demon—she calls herself the devil of drag, the demon queen Bosco. Obviously everybody knows Bosco is like super shady and has a smart mouth, and I’m pretty sure you’ll see more of that this season. But Bosco is actually one of the sweetest people I have ever met in my life, who checks on me 24/7, and is great. That’s another person who, like, always talks to me about my transition and stuff, and just has conversations and asks the right questions, and is very sweet. So, she may wear horns and she may be shady when she opens her mouth 99-percent of the time, but Bosco is the sweetest person on the planet.

6. Here’s a chance to shout out another drag performer, designer, hair & makeup artist, etc… who really helped inspire you or prepare you for your journey on Drag Race.

Honestly, there’s so many gazillions of people that I can name. But I would say obviously my Haus Of Jeté, my drag family—every last one of them: Calypso Jeté, Kyra Jeté, Hershii LiqCour-Jeté, and my drag daughter. They’re all phenomenal people. Danny Godoy, who makes the majority of my stuff, is a phenomenal person. A sickening drag artist as well, but a phenomenal seamstress. And, honestly, everybody that’s been in drag, in general, or just drag artists that are out here trying it. Putting yourself in front of people, with your art and your creativity, is a lot. It’s a lot to do that, and I say kudos to everybody because nothing comes easy, it all comes with hard work, and to sit there and expose yourself for work is a lot! So, to all drag artists that are out there doing it: You know, keep doing it and enjoy yourself, obviously, because it’s a lot of work.

7. Wildcard: Your original number for the CNTs was one of the most fire tracks to ever hit the Drag Race main stage. Can you share a little bit about writing it and pulling the whole performance together?

A lot of people don’t know: I studied classical music all my life, I’m an opera singer. So I was like, “Oh, I could do that,” then thought, “You know what? I think I’m going to rap for it” My friends and I got together—my friend Brandon Armstrong and I wrote this literally sitting at the Tesla charging station, like, eating some terrible drive-thru food, how we usually do everything. He’s a phenomenal writer, he’s a genius. And then, after we wrote everything, we hit up our other friend Jordan [Michael], and we’re like, “Jordan, you got to lay this down!” So Jordan helped produce everything, and it was a 24-hour process.

They know me, they know how I am as an artist and how particular I am with stuff. So I was like, “We need a storyline,“ and they’re like, “Well, what are you going for?” I wanted it to seem like I am the neighborhood person that everyone knows, and I’m coming from the grocery store, and then some kids go, “Miss Kornbread, do that thing you always do!” And then that’s when I burst out with the rap, and then I grab my grocery bag and I go about my business. So that was the whole theme of it all. And freaking Drag Race is amazing with everything they help us out with, so [they were like,] “What kind of set do you want?” I said, “Nothing! I want to walk like I’m going up the street in the neighborhood, and I just want to deliver a full performance, and that’s it.” I didn’t want any gimmicks, or anything to like that.

And then, the girl who made my bag—Jocelyn Knobs in Oregon—was like, “So what do we want on this bag?” And then I explained to her that it needs to say “Ru Mart” because I want them to know that I’m coming from the store. And then, if you look inside of the bag, it’s the ingredients to make cornbread. So it was a story from head to toe that I wanted to portray. So, yeah, it was a science! There was a whole mood board. Twenty-four hours in a Tesla charging station, sitting in the car, eating tacos or something.

Great art can come from anywhere!

Especially the Tesla charging station!

Gagatrondra! It's The Tweets Of The Week

We wrap up every newsletter with a rundown of some of our favorite reaction tweets of the week, so use #DragRace and you may find yourself here!

Rud

@RudyCastilloNY

Someone please make a better version of this meme I made with haste on Snapchat I #DragRace https://t.co/NjmxAWCcKT

8:34 PM - 12 Jan 2022

Jaida Essence “Deck the HALLs”

@jaidaehall

Remember when Tyra made them girls think she was dying? That! Lmao #DragRace

8:22 PM - 14 Jan 2022

wil justice ミ☆ // euphoria era...

@spideywil921

i love tonight's guest judge... #DragRace https://t.co/v57MlJEVO8

8:40 PM - 14 Jan 2022

Aliza | Fever Dream🖤

@alizahatesppl

Brooke Lynn Hytes when Ru called ballet a boring talent #dragrace https://t.co/BZPQcKaGL1

9:21 PM - 14 Jan 2022

Want More?

The Pit Stop gets an extra helping of gorge this week when special guest Gottmik joins our host Monét X Change to recap season 14’s second premiere and discuss the mystery of the nude illusion. Check it out below!

The Pit Stop S14 E02 | Monét X Change & Gottmik Get It | RuPaul’s Drag Race

Follow RuPaul's Drag Race On Social

Twitter • Instagram • YouTube • TikTok • Facebook

#Newsletter #Big Opening 2 #Kornbread Jete #UNO

0 notes

kryptsune · 3 years

Text

World Building Wednesday!~ Etherium

🌼 I decided to share one of my AU worlds that is not Fell based. Yes... I know... what is the world coming to? Etherium in essence is my stab at an Outertale based universe though the story and the designs are very different. I really enjoy this one though I don’t talk about it too much. Let’s get started!

Etherium AU

Classification: Outertale Alternate “Nicknames” Info:

Sans: Nova- Nova is the trickster though he is mostly associated with that of Loki. Loki is described specifically as “Playful, malicious ( ok maybe not that one), helpful, and nihilistic.” He helps others in a kind of goofy over the top way. He just doesn’t take much seriously. Nova is one of the youngest. He acts very childish at times coming to question how long he has been among the pantheon. Some argue his many centuries gave him a nihilistic outlook on life or that he is too young to understand the true ways of the world.

Not to say that Nova can’t be serious but he is pretty laid back. It’s one of the reasons unlike the others he doesn’t really keep his cultural ties in his design. He should have more Norse in it but nah… varsity jackets are cozy right? I mean he is wearing star shorts for stars sake. When asked about his job he mentions, “Hey, there kiddo. Nice of ya to drop by. Been up to? Heh well got a “new” job which is pretty cool. Not as cool as Pollux but I help arrange stars. Ya know, like the ones you see in the sky you can make pictures out of? I think you humans call em… constellations. One time I made this giant whoopee cushion one. “Then I lost ma job. Got a second chance though. Andromeda's constantly watchin me. hehe no harm done though.” Both Pollux and Nova refer to each other as brothers but it is unclear if they are biologically related. Their abilities and strengths are nearly opposite and their mythos even more so.

Papyrus: Pollux- The presumed older brother of Nova. Pollux is associated with Egyptology specifically wisdom. Pollux tends to be the opposite of Nova in that he takes his job very seriously. Once on earth he was known as Thoth gracing humanity with a mechanical and architectural knowledge that astounded the world. His mind and intellect put him at the forefront of innovation making him one of Capricorn's best and most trusted advisors.

He enjoys testing the mental prowess of others using puzzles and riddles of his own design. Unlike canon Pap Pollux cares more about balance in life. Something his younger brother seems to lack. Not all work and not all play. He is kind, helpful, and willing to give advice to anyone that is looking for it. To the little human Frisk he is a good mentor and teacher. (Pollux has made it his pastime to create a series of challenges to prove a humans worth. If they pass then they are able to speak/ see them. No one has managed to prove themselves.)

(more characters and info below the cut)

Undyne: Andromeda- Andromeda is not different from canon Undyne as she embodies the Mayan mythology. She is mostly closely associated with the feathered serpent Quetzalcóatl. A deity of wind and rain. Also known as the life giver. Though Andromeda tends to harken back to her more aggressive roots she has a deep respect for the King and acts as his guard. Just like Pollux she too acts as an advisor, though more on matters of security than strategy or mechanics. Such a position is where she first met Elara and to this day the two are inseparable sharing their very different cultures. Her favorite kind of anime to watch are mech based.

Alphys: Elara- Very similar to canon Alphys just as this version of Undyne is. Alphys is based off of Sukuna-Biko-Na (少名毘古那) or the shinto god of medicine and rain. Elara is still very much a scientist and one that has a unique fascination with living things. Everything from the planets, to humans, animals, and plant life. She particularly enjoys spending time in her private greenhouse creating and taking care of all of the plant life. Before the monsters were forced to leave their place among the humans she was able to collect all the DNA of the plants and animals on the planet.

They are stored in a kind of ark in which to preserve them if anything threatens their existence. Elara is very traditional in her work as her medicines are derived from her magic as well as herbal substances. She is very curious however as she is not allowed to interact with the progress of humanity but rather watches from afar. This is where her love of anime takes hold. Her favorites are ones like Sailor Moon or any type of magical girl anime. She will sit with Andromeda and watch them for hours. Her demeanor is very shy at first but once she opens up she will be a friend for life.

Asgore: Capricorn- The head of the cosmic pantheon he is the King as he is in the original. He is associated with Celtic mythos though he has taken on many pantheon roles in his lifetime. Ambisagrus, a god of thunder and lightning, Ancestor God, Sky God, God of Wind, Rain & Hail is what he is based off of. One such role is that of Zeus who’s main symbol is that of lightning and thunder. Just like the Zeus of mythology Capricorn is constantly debating his involvement with humanity.

Whether that be to stop their technological advances or aiding in their lives. A large portion of his time was spent with his subjects not so much his wife Aurora who is the jealous type. Capricorn is not a ruthless leader but he does know that sometimes hard decisions must be made. Just like UT Asgore he is kind and benevolent, however, he has a temper if you make him angry enough. His magical abilities lean more toward lighting then fire but he has that ability as well. He tasked Elara to watch over human development should a problem arise.

Toriel: Aurora- The Queen to Capricorn she is known to be easily jealous. It would explain why Zeus wife Hera also shares these traits. Her Gaelic deity tie is that of Arianrhod a goddess of the moon and stars. She creates life from the stars she creates sometimes causing them to take a form of their own. They are almost like living constellations. Some say that the Queen made such life to combat her own loneliness which her Son and Husband spent time away. In addition to the stars she is also known for being a loving mother and caregiver. In her time on earth she used to watch over and protect children and their families. Aurora though previously jealous of her simple in the universe has come to accept and embrace it. She is kind but rather over protective. Anyone that forsakes life will feel her wrath.

Muffet: Umbra- Umbra is associated with Hindu mythology as a goddess of wealth and prosperity. Though earthly riches do not concern Umbra she still has a taste for the fine silks and gold that she once had on earth. A little about the goddess that she represents: Lakshmi's name comes from the Sanskrit word laksya, meaning an aim or goal. She is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual. Unlike UT Muffet, Umbra also focuses on a spiritual wealth. A peace of mind.

She is ever the optimist even when things do not turn out to go her way. In times of need she is called those in the struggles of self worth trying to bring them into a different understanding. There have been many a time when Umbra calms Capricorns quick and rash judgements, much to Auroras displeasure. Just as with the rest of the pantheon she is kind and helpful even with her yearning to return to the people she so loved before they were forced to the outskirts of the galaxy.

Grillby: Helio- Helio derived from sun is my OT Grillby. He out of all the characters could care less about either being a deity or an observer. He is known to be at a middle ground. He would rather live his days running a social establishment but during his time on earth he was known for his magic. Originally he was the right hand of Capricorn being depicted as a war deity for his fiery nature. He was the general of grand armies. His armor is something he hung up long ago but if called into court he will wear it once again. It’s design is very reminiscent of Roman centurions.

Though depictions of him are curious since his name back then was referred to as Merlin. He was best known for him magic and alchemy and the concoctions he made during a period of time far lacking in imagination. Just like Nova, Helio, tended to interfere far too often in the affairs of man though noble in purpose. He tends to be outcast among the pantheon for his past conduct but he is content in his lab mixing crazy concoctions. Everything from love potions to disguises. His forte is all about alchemy and magic.

Asriel: Azicree (Azi)- Azicree or Azi for short is the Crown Prince. By monster standards Azi is still very young, however, he has lived for far longer than any human can fathom. His mother used to shelter him until he begged for his father to let him prove himself. He still acts like a child always curious and desiring some form of exploration. Much to Capricorns dismay Azi enjoys spending time with Nova and the two become pranksters in general. He tends to not do as he is told, which is why they are in this mess in the first place. His reckless behavior had him appearing to a human that begged for his salvation.

The matters of life and death are ones that are not to be messed with. Those that do find their souls being tainted for all eternity turning them into something other than just a monster. 9X is an example of such tampering. Azi does learn his lesson and begins to try and shape up to be a worthy successor to his father if such a thing ever did come to pass. He studies off of all those he knows especially Pollux who is more than happy to share such knowledge. His associations are non existent since he was born after the times of gods. His abilities seem to be mimic based.

He is able to learn about abilities and use them at will. It is rare that monsters have children and as such Azi is the little prodigy child even though there are many times he just wants to be a kid. He makes friends with Frisk very quickly and learn a lot from the human visitor.

Gaster: Nero is the Gaster of this universe. He is Capricorns pantheon counterpart. In essence the Hades to his Zeus. He is the monster that everyone thinks about when darkness takes hold. He is the one that associates with apocalyptic events such as ragnarok. He is however not evil by any stretch of the imagination. He would be better suited to be called a god of chaos. He tends to reject the laws placed upon the rest of the pantheon regardless of repercussions.

It’s speculated that both Pollux and Nova were a part of him and crafted into the monsters that are known today. Nova being his more devious side which Pollux is more his intellect and drive. He has been locked away for a very long time in a prison aptly named Tarturus. His abilities are space and time oriented very similar to Nova which makes him difficult to imprison. He of course has been in his cell for quite some time and it is unclear if he actually has had a change of heart or using it as a manipulation tactic.

The only one he speaks with on occasion is Azi wanting to learn more about this planet they all used to call home. It is information that the others tend to not speak of. His father more so as he is afraid it will instill a yearning in his son. Nero’s genius is on par with his godly abilities such as creating artificial intelligence. Something that is not considered life. He uses Azi as a template for this new program...

FLOWEY:

F- Friendly

L- Life-like

O- Operating system

W- With

E- Earthbound

Y- Yearning

F.L.O.W.E.Y was created by 9x and Nova with Azi as a template. He is a charismatic AI who was originally created as a helper as well as to teach the Prince about their planet of origin. Unfortunately Flowey does not have the same reservations about disobeying his father as Azi does. Even going so far as to integrate with key and vital systems in The Capital. He even manages to intercept a human vessel that he finds exploring. Flowey is not evil he just is driven to be the best help he can without regards to any type of consequences. He helps Frisk meet and learn more about their existence. He acts as a companion.

However when Frisk becomes friends with Azi Flowey's AI goes haywire. He begins to feel emotions he is not technically allowed to such as jealousy. This causes him to try and eliminate those threatening him which in this case would be all the monsters. Eventually Azi attempts to program himself into the interface changing it’s initial programming.

Blookie: Nebula

Riverperson: Omni

Gerson: Quasar

The Ursas: Ursa Major/Minor

Greater Dog/ Lesser Dog: Canis Major/Minor

MTT: Gigabit

Character Origin/Mythos:

Sans- Norse (Trickster) Papyrus- Egyptian Undyne- Mayan Alphys- Japanese (shinto) Asgore- Celtic Toriel- Celtic Muffet- Hindu Grillby- Medieval (Merlin) Asriel- Celtic through lineage Gaster- Greek/Roman Blookie- Western Guard dogs- Constellations (Native American) Riverperson- Greek (Charon) Gerson- Chinese (Divination/ wisdom)

Background and Context:

A long time ago there lived beings of great power. They could bend space and time with a simple thought and bring life to their creations. These were the gods. Ones of great benevolence but also great and terrifying power. Humanity, a primitive race just starting to understand life itself, became their focus. At first their interaction was very rare only occasionally appearing to help but as time went on those interactions became more drastic. Their assistance and knowledge was seen as godlike to this humans.

They would bring gifts and offerings to their new deities in hopes that they would look favorably upon them. That they would impart their wisdom and magic if they were pleased. In time this became more and more tradition. A religion built upon pleasing these deities so that their lives would be far improved but this became a conundrum for the beings. Some remained benevolent and helpful while others becomes greedy and wrathful. The power began to go to their minds corrupting their souls. These instances were written down in variation by the humans making up grandiose stories of fiery chariots and jealous gods. Thus mythology came into being for humanity. A way to explain the things in which they did not understand.

As with each religion and deity the monsters each became associated with a specific culture or mythos. Some being pinnacles of their pantheon and others being lesser deities molded to suit a specific task. These monsters rarely interacted with ones of their own kind but as power shifted some of them took on roles of others. One monster could have been the god of war in Greek mythos but end up also as the god of thunder in Norse. There were no limitations to their influence. One such “deity” was that of the trickster. A monster that tended to be rather childish in his ambitions jumping from pantheon to pantheon looking to lighten up his other “deities” stern demeanors.

The monsters began to pull away leaving their presences in name only and occasional help but this was short lived. It caused problems, war, destruction, and feuding powers sadly began to use their civilizations as almost pawns. Their meddling almost destroyed that which they wanted to originally protect. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The “gods” faded from existence only being remembered in myths and legends. The great prophecy of the Norse. The architectural marvels of the Egyptians. Now they reside in the furthest reaches of the galaxy. They spread out among the stars but a group of them resided in a Capital of sorts. A station at the edge of the Universe. One which no human could ever reach.

The Humans Impressions:

When the monsters left the humans to their own devices they worship continued long after. Eventually the magic and the miracles that had once been performed faded into history. The monsters were all but forgotten unless mentioned in mythology or scary stories. The humans never harbored any animosity toward them since they no longer believed in their existence in any form. They only understand what their ancestors depicted them as. The monsters as well don’t really have anything against humans either. All in all, they just go about their jobs and enjoy the universe, helping from time to time discreetly if need be but never showing their faces.

Main Plot Synop:

The plot to Outertale is very simple as it is more based around the world than it is the actual plot. It is very similar to that of the regular UT timeline with some notable differences. Once the humans reach an age of technological advancement they begin to spread out and search the stars. Some of them encounter monsters which they mistake for aliens (hilarious enough. I mean Jerry looks like an alien.) They begin to build colonies living more and more outside the reach of their own galaxy. Humans however tend to turn on their own creating factions within the space colonies. Some more prosperous than others.

Frisk’s colony was one such beast being cut off from the other colonies as a drifter. Unfortunately Frisk’s family was nearly non existent and being stuck on a space colony was little to be desired. After seeing a streak of fire slamming into the outskirts of the colony. Frisk decides to investigate. They have always been the curious type disobeying orders and questioning everything. The colonies outer and more dangerous regions became their playground finding old pieces of technology. Eventually they stumble upon a crashed ship. One that It seems to damaged to be used but it’s nothing like they have ever seen before. Everyone else on the colony consider it to be cursed.

The strange runic language is confusing but Frisk finds that there is one lone computer onboard that seems to still function. It flickers with a bright yellow light showing an almost pixelated Flower with a =) face on the screen. Over the next few days Frisk returns to decipher the runes with the help of their new friend which they find out is called Flowey. It is a project that the curious human enjoys and for once it is nice to have a friend. Eventually the runes are deciphered claiming some sort teleportation capability. Once Frisk is close enough the system fires up on its own sending the human straight to the monster Capital on the farthest reaches of the universe. A place that no human has ever been.

The rest of the story is an exploration of this new environment. Frisk befriends the monsters who don’t attack first. They actually mostly want to engage with the human showing off their ability a little bit. A part of them misses the previous worship. Nova seems to take a particular interest in this new human especially when they befriend Azi. They work to help shut Flowey down only for Azi to impart his knowledge on the interface helping it understand. Frisk has nothing to return to so they stay with the monster and become Azi’s human tutor so that one day maybe the monsters can return and live side by side the humans once again. Both Azi and Frisk are almost like siblings coined the star children.

#undertale #sans #outertale #Etherium AU #undertale au #kits multiverse #friskys multiverse #concepts #my au #pollux #nova #mythology #WBW #Worldbuilding Wednesday AU edition #fun fun

177 notes · View notes

moccawithsugar · 3 years

Text

Few random notes about The Tower of Nero

(Spoilers ahead)

Nico. My poor boy Nico. Getting therapy from Mr. D was something I did not expect, but I’m glad he’s doing it. My baby deserves happiness.

The brotherly relationship between Dionysus and Apollo was something I did not expect either. I think I can finally understand better the god of wine and I’m glad for that.

Rachel and her brush will always be iconic.

Will is adorable. And the way he shines and then Apollo’s like “I’m so proud” and Will is there too flushed like “it’s not that I graduated med school with honors” and Apollo being a good dad for him like “I’ll be proud when you do that too” and I’m here like aawwwwww. But really, the fact that Apollo is proud that his son can shine is everything.

Will and Nico. They are so different and get along so good like wow. It’s amazing how they’re so perfect for each other. They know each other so much and they love each other so much and I love them so much.

There were two battle at camp Jupiter? Well, Percy and Annabeth are gonna stay in NYC. The battle is in NYC this time? Then Percy and Annabeth are going to San Francisco 😅 My babies deserve a rest.

Stelle is going to rule the world some day.

The cows... That was... so weird...

Also they mentioned Venezuela and I’m so happy for it.

Nico can kill just by touching people... WOW.

Meg is a little queen.

Her encounter with Nero was so heartbreaking but she was so brave...

Poor Lu.

“Nobody hits my boyfriend and nobody kills my dad”. Again: I love you, Will.

Apollo being sweet with his children was adorable. The compliment to Kayla and the cute little talk with Austin made me cry.

Also the other three new kids in the Apollo cabin meeting their dad. And Austin introducing them to Apollo like “they are the children you sired years ago, you probably don’t remember but now you do, you’re welcome” 😅 Also how do they know they’re Apollo’s children? He couldn’t have claimed them. Another god did for him? They’re just too good with arrows or medicine and make it too easy to deduce?

The other gods can watch him in a proyector in the hearth’s fire... Like, since when have them been watching him and laughing and betting against him? Since his trials started? That is so cruel, they’ve known Apollo for thousands of years. Hermes disappointed me so much, I really liked him. I expected no less from Ares tho. Also Poseidon was just there bored to the core and yawning like... You had that punishment before once too! And with Apollo! You know how it feels, you should care. I want to think maybe he was just too tired (if gods can get tired) because of the rebuilding of his palace but honestly what are the odds? The decline in Poseidon’s character is very sad.

Apollo walking to Python almost unarmed and alone was so brave. He couldn’t have gone like that in the first book and I’m so proud of him, he has grown so much.

“I missed the shot. Don’t even pretend to be surprised” I was not, Lester. At least you tried.

RIP THE ARROW OF DODONA! IT WAS A FAITHFUL PROJECTILE TO THE END! APOLLO MUST FALL BUT HE WILL RISE AGAIN!!!! HAIL HIS LAST PROPHECY!

Ehh did I mention Artemis? No? Well... ARTEMIS ARTEMIS ARTEMIS ARTEMIS ARTEMIS!!! The best goddess!! She was so worried 🥺 begging Zeus to forgive Apollo 😭 and screaming to Aphrodite... She’s so awesome I just can’t.

The description of how Apollo and Python fall to chaos was amazing. I never thought Rick would touch the subject of Chaos but it was great. The perfect end for Python and (of course) the perfect timing for the goddess of Stix to appear. At least she saw that Apollo has really learned the lesson. He must be true to all his promises from now on, specially the most important ones. He will remember. And the fact that Zeus can’t see to the Chaos? Sweet.

The way Apollo wept in his sister’s shoulder broke me. Poor guy, he has been through too much. And Artemis was there just so happy that he’s back and well and alive :’) she’s the best. “Not a cuddler, my sister. But she allowed me to hold her hands” aaawwwwww. Also the way she dressed him up into a dress was the most sibling-relationship-thing I’ve ever seen in a god/goddess 😅

“The gods awaited” is such a good phrase. Almost as good as “Release the Kraken!”.

I can’t stop thinking about the image of the tiny gods with Mickey Mouse voice “Welcome to Olympus!” 😂😂😂

“Wisdom, comes in handy” omg Athena.

If I thought before that Zeus was bad well now he seems even worse.

Why was Hera crying over Jason? Was she really grieving? Why? Doesn’t she hate every one of Zeus’s children? What did I miss?

The fact that Zeus doesn’t care about his son’s death 😒

Apollo visiting every single one of his demigods friends :’)

Hazel and Frank are finally free of their curses and living life like never before :’) I’m so happy for them.

Reyna seems so happy now with her bff Thalia hunting that damn fox. Also “no puedes decirle mamacita a una mujer, ¿entendiste?” was perfect 😅 I need more of Reyna and Leo speaking in Spanish.

Calypso enjoying school? Adorable :3

How doesn’t Apollo know if Georgie is his daughter or not? He’s a god now, he should now. He knew Thalia’s age just by looking at her, just saying.

I need lots of stories about the Hunters of Artemis, specially about what happened at the end with that fox.

The fact that Apollo knew Artemis was the only one there actually happy to have him back... And the wink at the end... I’m just obsessed with these twins ok?

Apollo bringing blue cookies to Percy was adorable. And Percy doesn’t know what to study, he just knows it has to be something with the ocean. I’m glad to see he doesn’t think about his phobia anymore. And Apollo’s concern about if Percy and Annabeth were going to share a bedroom or no 😅 hilarious. But that’s none of your business, Apollo. Annabeth told you herself.

Piper is bi! 😱 She’s finally happy (even missing Jason tho, don’t misunderstand me) with her partner and Apollo is so happy for her and she’s so happy for him and wow :’) too much cuteness.

The part with Meg was the most emotional. He even appeared a unicorn for her. “Will you come back?” “Always. The sun always comes back” and that’s the last sentence he says and it’s so beautiful 😭

The last paragraph killed me. It does every time I re-read it. Apollo I want you to know that I’m smiling on you too. Specially on sunny days. I’m very proud of you. We’re friends now indeed, and I’m glad for it.

130 notes · View notes

simply-brightly-zee · 5 years

Photo

Folks let me talk about Crowley and sunglasses, because I have a lot of emotions about when he wears them and when he doesn’t, and Hiding versus Being Seen.

We’re introduced to the concept of Crowley wearing glasses even before we’re introduced to Crowley, by Hastur: “If you ask me he’s been up here too long. Gone native. Enjoying himself too much. Wearing sunglasses even when he doesn’t need them.”

Honestly Crowley’s whole introduction is a fantastic; we learn so much about his character in a tiny amount of time. The fact that he’s late, the Queen playing as the Bentley approaches, the “Hi, guys” in response to Hastur and Ligur’s “Hail Satan”. I like this intro much better than the one originally scripted with the rats at the phone company, but I digress.

Crowley wears sunglasses when he doesn’t need them. Specifically, he still wears them around the demons, and when he’s in hell.

You know where Crowley doesn’t wear glasses? At home.

We never once see him wearing glasses in his flat, except for when he knows Hastur and Ligur are coming. That’s an emotional kick to the gut for me. Here’s one of the only places Crowley’s comfortable enough to be sans glasses, and when he knows it’s going to be invaded he prepares not just physically with the holy water, but by putting up that emotional barrier in a place where he wasn’t supposed to need it.

An argument could be made that Crowley actually never needs glasses. We’re shown that it’s well within the angels’ and demons’ powers to pass unnoticed by humans. Crowley and Aziraphale waltz out of the manor in the middle of a police raid, and going unnoticed by the police takes so little effort that they can keep up a conversation while they stroll through. Even an unimaginative demon like Hastur apparently doesn’t have trouble with the humans losing it over his demonic eyes. The humans in the scene at Megiddo are acting like “this guy is a little weird” and not “holy shit his entire eyeballs are black jelly”

That means that Crowley’s glasses are a choice, just like Aziraphale’s softness. Sure, he could arrange matters so that nobody ever noticed his eyes, but he doesn’t want to. Crowley wants acceptance, and he wants to belong, and he’s never, ever had that. He didn’t fit in before the Fall in Heaven, he doesn’t fit in with the demons in Hell. With the glasses, and with the Bentley and his plants and with the barely-bad-enough-to-be-evil nuisance temptations, he’s choosing Earth. This is where he wants to fit in, perhaps not with the humans, but amongst them.

Even after Crowley is at his absolute lowest, when he thinks Aziraphale’s dead and he’s on his way to drink until the world ends, he takes the time to put a new pair on when the old ones are damaged. He needs that emotional crutch right now, even with everything about to turn into a pile of puddling goo he’s not ready for the world to see his eyes.

Which is why I swore out loud when Hastur forcibly takes them off.

It’s about the worst thing that Hastur could have done. Rather than leading with a physical threat, his first act is to strip away Crowley’s emotional defences. It’s a great writing choice because god it made me hate Hastur, even more than all the physical violence we see him do.

It’s also the moment that Crowley really truly gets his shit together, and focuses all of his considerable imagination on getting to Tadfield and Aziraphale to help save the world. He’s wielding the terrifyingly unimaginable power of someone who’s hit rock bottom and realised it literally could not get any worse than this. He doesn’t put another pair of glasses on after discorporating Hastur, and he spends the majority of the airbase sequence without them.

He puts them back on again, I think, at the moment that he really lets himself hope. When he thinks ‘shit, there may be a real chance that we get through this to a future that I don’t want to lose’.

The vulnerability is back, and he needs Adam to trust him. In Crowley’s mind being accepted by a human means he needs to have his eyes hidden. Someone give the demon a hug, please.

Interestingly, there’s only one time in the whole series that we see Crowley willingly choose to take his glasses off around another person. Only one person he’ll take down that barrier for, and even then he’s drunk before he does it.

Dear God/Satan/Someone that makes my heart ache. Crowley’s chosen Earth, but he’s also chosen Aziraphale. He’s been looking for somewhere to belong his entire existence, and it’s with the angel that he finally feels it.

When the dust settles and the world is saved and they finally have space to be themselves unguarded, I like to imagine Crowley takes off the glasses when it’s just the two of them; the idea of being known doesn’t scare him quite so much anymore.

#Good Omens #Crowley #Good Omens meta #Hi hello I'm Zee and I am feeling ALL THE EMOTIONS #Those of you who know me from the Daredevil fandom will not be surprised by this #I'm well practised at having emotions over characters who use glasses to hide vulnerability #zee writes meta

49K notes · View notes

nxmuzluv · 3 years

Text

mexican empire — trivia

The empire (that is more formally known as the Second Mexican Empire) was started in 1864 by Emperor Armando, Jacqueline’s great-great-great-great grandfather. He was a lieutenant general within the Mexican army, and after he forced French forces out of Mexico and ordered their surrender, due to his wealth and influence (as he hailed from a Cuban-Mexican old money family), he declared himself emperor of Mexico due to his desire for the Mexican empire’s restoration.

During the reign of Jacqueline’s great-great grandfather—Emperor Gustavo Hernando—a socialist and wannabe dictator named Álvaro Angel Hernandez created an anti-monarchy “party” that wished to abolish the Mexican empire due to seeing the (then current) imperial family as corrupt. The party gained members, notoriety, and infamy throughout Mexico, and Álvaro had even gained some power over Mexico City and its neighboring territories. Álvaro seemingly went mad and randomly decided to storm the palace in an attempt to overthrow Emperor Gustavo. That attempt was unsuccessful, and Álvaro was tried with heavy treason and sentenced to death by hanging. His execution sparked the Guerra del Palacio (the War of the Palace), and the conflict lasted for three and a half years.

With the empire’s power, and with the help of Brazilian, Cuban, and later American troops, the Mexican empire defeated Álvaro’s party and prevented being replaced with an authoritarian, socialist regime. Since then, the War of the Palace has been the only civil war that the imperial family has had to face.

Mexico has one of the wealthiest imperial families in the world, having a net worth of $10.5 billion, and placing them at 5th on the list of wealthiest monarchs in the world. All of that money belongs to the emperor, and it stems from Mexico’s investments in the oil industry and agriculture, their various exports (such as beer, chocolate, chilis, and tomatoes), the support from the Mexican citizens, and from the emperor’s own investments into large scale banks around the world. The $10.5 billion will be split between the emperor’s immediate family (his daughters and his eldest daughter’s three children) upon his death.

Mexico became the first monarchy in the world to implement absolute primogeniture (meaning any child can assume the role of heir apparent to the throne regardless of their gender) in 1914. It was proposed by Emperor Gustavo after the birth of his three daughters after the birth of his eldest son. He was worried about the potential extinction of the dynasty if his son either died or was unable to marry or produce a male heir, and Gustavo’s own lack of another male heir only increased his worries. To ensure that the dynasty would live on, he proposed the idea of absolute primogeniture to the Mexican government.

His proposal was taken into question, as back then, women were seen as “unfit” monarchs and were seen as incapable of ruling a country. However, due to much pushing by the emperor over the course of eight months, by a vote of 71–63, absolute primogeniture was officially adopted in Mexico in regards to the empire’s line of succession. The empire received its first female heir apparent upon the birth of Crown Princess (now Empress) Victoria in 1967.

Since 1873, the empire of Mexico has also been known as the United Empire of Mexico (or the Imperio Unido de México) due to the numerous conquests ordered by Emperor Armando. Countries under the United Empire of Mexico include the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama. From 1891 to 1959 (68 years), Cuba was also a part of the United Empire, and monarchs and their consorts held the titles of Emperor and Empress of Cuba.

The Second Mexican empire started off with a rather large amount of wealth, as its founder, Lieutenant General Armando José Enrique Velasco, hailed from a Mexican-Cuban old money family that was worth $16.4 billion ($302.5 billion in today’s money) by Armando’s father’s death in 1867. Upon his father’s death, the money was split between Armando and his brother, with both of them receiving $8.2 billion ($151.2 billion in today’s money). That fortune has been slightly diminished and restored over the years.

The Second Mexican Empire is an absolute, hereditary, and self-proclaimed monarchy. It was originally a semi-constitutional monarchy during Emperor Alphons’ reign, and during Emperor Fernando’s reign, it became a complete constitutional monarchy. The empire only became an absolute monarchy after its restoration. It is a self-proclaimed monarchy due to Emperor Armando declaring himself the emperor of Mexico after defeating the French.

Emperor Alphons—Armando’s eldest son—had the shortest reign of any Mexican monarch ever, as he only reigned for 11 years. He was known to be somewhat sickly from birth, and his sickness worsened later in his life, resulting in his early-ish death. Alphons was also said to be attractive during his youth and was quite the notorious playboy before he met his wife and consort, Josefina Ivette Isabel Correia, Lady Salvaterra, to whom he was distantly related to.

In his youth, Emperor Gustavo had quite the large selection of noble and royal ladies to choose from for marriage (or rather, for his parents to choose from). From that selection, he had wed Princess Helena Dorothea Maria Anna of Greece and Denmark, Viscountess Württemberg, a member of the Greek royal family and of the German noble House of Württemberg. However, they’re relationship was rocky and they seemed more like acquaintances than husband and wife, and just a year later, Gustavo and Princess Helena divorced. However, their marriage did bring the Mexican, Greek, and Danish royal/imperial families closer together, and it solidified their relationship for the next four generations. Princess Helena was never given the title of empress. A few months later, Gustavo married Agustina Natalia Sophia, Baroness of San Luis de la Paz, and the daughter of the Duke of Guanajuato.

Emperor José Manuel established the most international connections for the Mexican empire, ranking just below his son, Fernando. His marriage to Yoo Hyeryun, a middle class Korean native, was one of them, as well as his ally-ship with India, his friendships with the British, Greek, and Spanish royal families, and his push for exports and the offering of support to foreign allies. José Manuel also has the second longest reign of any monarch in Mexico, placing behind his son.

Emperor Fernando became the first Korean-Mexican to ascend to the imperial throne after his father’s death in 1960. He also has the longest reign of any Mexican monarch, and will uphold that title until his daughter can manage to surpass him.

Empress Victoria became Mexico’s first female regent in all its 139-year history, which caused her to also have the most viewed coronation since her father’s in 1960, amassing a total of 81.5 million people in Mexico and 24 million people worldwide. Meaning, a total of 105.5 million people had watched Victoria’s coronation. She also became the second mixed Korean to ascend to the Mexican throne.

Empress Agustina was known for introducing a lot of foreign customs to Mexico during her husband’s reign. She was known for her love of travel and for her interest in other (specifically European) cultures. She introduced the Scottish Lomond waltz to the Mexican imperial court, and had also introduced the concept of debutante balls to the country, as she established Empress Agustina’s Debutante Ball (Baile de Debutante de la Emperatriz Agustina) after attending Queen Charlotte’s Ball in London.

Dowager Empress Consuelo Teresa (or Yoo Hyeryun) became the first Korean woman to assume the title of empress (consort) of Mexico upon her husband’s ascension to the throne in 1928. She achieved massive notoriety due to this (and also due to her beauty), and further established positive connections between Mexico and South Korea. She also became known as the first commoner to marry into the imperial family, and became the first commoner to assume the title of empress consort. She is also the longest living empress in the empire’s history, being 102 years old by the events of Trigger Happy Havoc.

There had actually been a empress regent of Mexico prior to Victoria, although she wasn’t officially counted as a reigning empress like Victoria. Her name was Princess Josefina Maria Lupita, and she was Emperor Alphons’ older sister, and Emperor Armando’s first born child. Due to Mexico’s male preference primogeniture at the time, Josefina was misplaced at heir to the throne once her brother was born. She didn’t see it as an issue until she was in her thirties. Just a few months after Alphons was crowned, Josefina secretly mobilized a part of Mexico’s military, and had ordered them to storm her brother’s apartments within Chapultepec Castle

A few dozen were injured during that attempt of a “coup,” and two had died due to their injuries. Alphons originally thought that the attack was ordered by anti-royalists, but he later found out that it was ordered by his own sister. He was quick to declare war on Josefina, who was forced to flee to Costa Rica with the remainder of her troops. The war—which was named the “War of the Chrysanthemum”—lasted for only seven months, before it eventually came to a stalemate due to the intervention of the siblings’ mother. Alphons wanted to keep Josefina in Costa Rica, but was advised not to. After the war, the siblings never even looked at each other again, and Josefina moved out of Chapultepec Castle and into a separate estate

During the war, Josefina had triumphed over her brother for a short period of time (about a month or two) and had become Empress Josefina, and was “ruling” from Costa Rica. However, as she had never had a formal coronation and as she had an incredibly short reign, historians do not count Josefina as a true sovereign, and the title of “first empress regent of Mexico” officially goes to Victoria. Technically, however, it goes to Josefina

Emperor José Manuel’s brother, José Ramón, Jacqueline’s great-great uncle, had married Princess Alexandra-Beatrice of Battenberg, the youngest daughter of Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, and of Prince Louis of Battenberg. Alexandra-Beatrice—Jacqueline’s great-great aunt—was the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, making the former queen of the United Kingdom Jacqueline’s great-great-great-great-great grandaunt.

Jacqueline’s great-aunt—Princess Valentina of Spain—is married to Prince Georgios of Greece and Denmark, Jacqueline’s uncle, and her title upon her marriage became Crown Princess Victoria of Greece and Spain. Crown Prince Georgios was formerly King George III of Greece, while Princess Valentina was Queen Valentina of Greece, the country’s first Spanish queen consort. However, Georgios only ruled for two years, and he abdicated the throne in favor of his younger brother, the now King Constantine II of Greece. Due to the marriage between Valentina and Georgios, however, that makes the Mexican imperial family relatives to the Greek royal family.

King Constantine II is Jacqueline’s great-uncle and his wife, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece and Denmark, is her great-aunt. Crown Prince Pavlos is Jacqueline’s second cousin, once removed/uncle, and his wife—Crown Princess Marie-Chantal—is her aunt. Pavlos and Marie-Chantal’s five children are all Jacqueline’s second cousins. Furthermore, that makes Crystal Bienvenu (Jacqueline’s classmate) and her siblings Jacqueline’s third cousins (and they had no idea that they were that closely related).

The Mexican imperial family is incredibly popular among its citizens, and is said to be well loved. They are known to be a very progressive, casual, down-to-earth, and friendly family to the Mexican public, royal watchers, and to foreigners. They are also known for their close relationship despite their large number of members.

Despite their close relationship now, the Mexican imperial family was known as very rigid, somewhat cold, and had a nearly distant family life up until Emperor Gustavo’s marriage to Baroness Agustina Natalia Sophia.

Although the empire was previously abolished in 2003, after society was restored following the events of The Tragedy, Mexico was significantly affected by the world’s societal collapse and by a devastating war between the country and Cuba caused by The Tragedy, and in an overwhelming 125–9 vote, the Mexican empire was restored, the imperial family was allowed back, and Emperor Fernando got his political power restored. However, six months later, he abdicated the throne in favor of his eldest daughter and Jacqueline’s mother, Victoria.

During the holiday season and before Christmas, the imperial family sends out cards with a portrait of the entire family—both the Mexican imperial family and the extended Bourbon-Perez/Spanish royal family—on the front. 1,000 cards are sent out to random households in Mexico and around the world every year, and all of them are personally signed by the emperor and empress. Only 50 cards are signed by other members of the family. This tradition started during the reign of Emperor Alphons in the late 1800s, and had increased in popularity during the reign of Emperor José Manuel.

Christmas portraits of the emperor’s immediate family and individual portraits of members of the imperial family are also released before Christmas, as well.

The children of the family also make Christmas cards, write messages in them, and sign them for the palace staff. The messages usually thank the staff for their hard work throughout the year. Jacqueline is known for tying each of her cards with gold, red, or green ribbons, and she’s known for gifting the staff with homemade cookies, as well.

There is a Christmas tree located in one of the imperial family’s winter residences, and before Christmas, the family makes decorations to hang from the tree, and they also hang home baked cookies—that are mainly baked by Jacqueline—from it, as well. Additionally, the oldest or youngest child gets to place the star/angel on top (it depends on the year).

On Christmas Eve, a formal dinner is held at the family’s winter residence and includes only the family members and their close guests (such as friends and government officials with close connections to the imperial family).

Also on Christmas Eve, the imperial family usually plays soccer/football on the grounds of their winter residence. This tradition was started by Emperor Gustavo in the early 1900s. Currently, Prince Alejandro and Empress Victoria have won the most games. The imperial family also plays Monopoly on Christmas Eve, which was started by Prince Alejandro.

Alejandro and Jacqueline also skate on the pond on the grounds of the family’s winter residence on Christmas Eve, which was turned into an ice skating rink at Emperor Daniel’s request when his children were young. Additionally, the imperial family also plays ice hockey. In regards to that, Jacqueline and her teams have won the most games.

The Mexican imperial family usually attends church service at the Catedral Metropolitana on a Sunday before Christmas. On Christmas Day, they attend church again, no matter what day it is, and that service is a much more public event due to it taking place on Christmas Day. During service, the emperor and empress’s Christmas speeches are broadcasted throughout the country, and tens of millions of Mexican citizens either watch or listen in. After service, the imperial family has a carriage procession through Mexico City, and that night, a final Christmas ball is held. Following the ball, the family usually watches Christmas movies at their winter residence, as well as a late night rerun of the emperor and empress’s Christmas broadcast.

Christmas is one of the imperial family’s favorite holidays, along with Independence Day, Day of the Dead, and Chuseok.

The imperial family combines a lot of Christmas traditions from different countries during the holiday season. Of course, there are mainly Mexican, Spanish, Korean, and British traditions, but there are also German and Scottish traditions mixed in, as well.

Mexico is known for sending numerous equestrians, sailors, surfers, soccer players, and runners to the Olympics, most of which have medaled. Members of the imperial family who have competed in the Olympics include: Emperor Alphons’ second son, who competed in equestrianism and won bronze, Emperor Gustavo’s youngest son, who competed in sailing and placed fourth, Empress Victoria, who competed in equestrianism and tennis and won silver and gold, Princess Luisa, Victoria’s younger sister, who competed in swimming and won gold, Prince Alejandro, Victoria’s eldest son, who competed at both the summer and winter Olympics and won gold in figure skating and gold in equestrianism, Princess Jacqueline, who competed in figure skating and won gold, as well, Princess Isabel, Victoria’s other younger sister, who competed in snowboarding and won bronze, and Princess Catalina Anita, who competed in gymnastics and track and won gold and bronze.

Like the United Kingdom, the Mexican empire has an established social season as well. It starts on February 1st with the state opening of Parliament, and it ends on December 9th with Empress Agustina’s Debutante Ball. In between, events like flower shows, opera performances, sports tournaments, society galas, a dog show, and an imperial derby are held. A five month break also occurs in between July and December. The social season was also introduced by Empress Agustina, but it didn’t become widespread until Emperor José Manuel’s reign.

Mexico is also known for its classic original operas, productions, and various opera singers. The annual opera performance at the Gran Teatro Nacional is one of the most anticipated events during the social season, and it is one of Dowager Empress Consuelo Teresa, Emperor Fernando, Empress Catalina-Beatriz, Empress Victoria, and Victoria’s children’s favorite event during the season.

Mexico also has quite the large amount of painters and photographers. Two of the most renowned painters and photographers are Lady Magdalena de la Cerda, a member of the aristocratic la Cerda family and a famous landscape, surrealist, and portrait artist, and Guillermo Hernandez-Mendez, a photographer famous for his landscape shots and creativity. Both of them work for the imperial family, and they usually create the family’s portraits.

Mexico is also known for its incredibly strong military. It’s head is, of course, the current monarch of the empire. Emperor José Manuel had extensive military knowledge and training, which he passed on to his sons, the future Emperor Fernando included. Fernando passed that military knowledge onto his eldest daughter and heir apparent, the future Empress Victoria, who further strengthened Mexico’s military just like her father and grandfather had done.

Dowager Empress Consuelo Teresa introduced the Korean holiday of Chuseok and the celebration of doljanchi to the imperial family upon her marriage to Emperor José Manuel. Since Emperor Fernando’s doljanchi in 1937, almost every member of the imperial family has also had one. Unlike other holidays, banquets are not held for Chuseok. Instead, smaller family dinners/potlucks are held in the family’s summer palaces, and they also get the chance to speak to their extended family in Korea.

The family’s main residence—Chapultepec Castle—is lit up with colored lights for various occasions. Some of those occasions include Independence Day, the birthdays of members of the imperial family, the births of members of the imperial family, and coronations. The lighting of Chapultepec Castle was introduced by Empress Catalina-Beatriz and started after the birth of Empress Victoria in 1967, and it has been done ever since.

Other traditions include the public lighting of the Christmas tree in front of Chapultepec Castle, and the ringing of the Catedral Metropolitana bells once an imperial baby has been born and during an imperial wedding.

The title of Prince/Princess of Tijuana is a title given to the heirs to the throne of Mexico. It was created in the early 1900s by Emperor Alphons as an 18th birthday gift for his eldest son, the future Emperor Gustavo. Since then, there have been five Princes of Tijuana and two Princesses of Tijuana. The title of Duke/Duchess of Bourbon-Perez is a title given to the current monarch and their spouse, and it was created by Dowager Empress Consuelo Teresa upon her eldest son’s ascension to the imperial throne. The title of Earl/Countess of Bourbon-Perez was created by Emperor Fernando upon his eldest daughter’s marriage in 1988.

Upon Victoria's ascension to the Mexican throne, Prince Alejandro—Jacqueline’s older brother—became the new crown prince of Mexico, and he also received the titles of Prince of Tijuana (a title given to the heirs to the imperial throne) and Earl of Bourbon-Perez. Jacqueline also moved up a spot in the line of succession, going from fourth to third.

Most of the members of the imperial family have married/have been engaged to people with noble/aristocratic titles. Only five members have not done so, with those being: Emperor José Manuel, who married Yoo Hyeryun, a Korean woman hailing from a middle class family, Crown Prince Alejandro, who got engaged to Vivienne Young, a woman hailing from an old moneyed Peranakan family, Princess Isabel, who married Stephanos Alexander Onasis, a Greek commoner, Prince Maximilliano, Emperor Fernando’s younger brother, who married Bianca Rosalia Rodriguez, a Cuban commoner, and Princess Alejandra of Spain, who married Hernando Enrique Torres, an Ecuadorian commoner hailing from a wealthy oil family.

The Mexican imperial family has a total of 19 residences. They have nine residences in Mexico, and 10 residences in other countries (such as Cuba, the United Kingdom, and Spain).

#here it is !! a lil list of some things i came up with for the fictional mexican empire !!#i might add more in the future tbh !!#later on tho i’m gonna make a list of the past monarchs & a list of the family’s xmas traditions !!#n e ways i’m gonna go disappear for another couple weeks lol #monarchy #empire #fictional monarchy #fictional empire #royalty #royal family #imperial family #fake royal family #fake imperial family #royal family oc #royalty oc #cece writes :)#cece speaks :)

19 notes · View notes

liliesoftherain · 4 years

Text

Ground Zero reads Thirst Tweets

A/N: Hey guys, this is a collab with @pinky-the-elephant-room !! This is the first part, and the second part can be found here! Her part is NSFW so since i’m a SFW blog we thought it would be best to split the parts! So here’s my contribution!

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

You walked inside the studio, thanking the heavens that it was cooler than it was outside. Greeting the producers of the setup, you gladly made your way by the set to see two stools placed side-by-side in front of a blue backdrop.

“Hello, Seize-san! Thank you so much for coming in today, I am Hana and I’m here to help you through this!” You grinned at the young woman who walked up to you. She was short stature and plump figure and gave off the impression of a warm and welcoming personality. Instantly putting you at ease.

“Thank you so much for having me! It’s an honor to be showcased here, along with another hero! You guys are truly kind to grant the opportunity to work alongside you, and please, call me (l/n).”

She nodded enthusiastically, grinning at the praise from such a top hero as yourself.

“Thank you again, (l/n)-san, come let’s get you ready for the camera! Are you in need of anything to drink, anything to snack on?”

“No ma’am, I am fine! I’m just ready for the shoot!”

“As is your partner!”

You both shared a laugh, both knowing the person you were recording with today was the opposite of ready for this.

“Oh, I’m sure that is the case, ma’am, where is he by the way?”

“He’s right behind you, stupid.”

You turned to see the annoyed blonde behind you, being escorted to the seating area close to where you were being led.

“Ah Ground Zero, good to see you haven’t blown anything up yet.”

“Shove off, hurry up so we can get this over with.”

You laughed, waving him off as the members looked on with concern.

“Don’t be rude, Bakugou! I’ll be there with you soon enough; all you have to do is be good and wait for me.” You winked, eyeing him up and down before turning back around, allowing Hana to guide you off towards your station to get ready.

The makeup artists just refreshed your makeup and made you ready for the video. You came out of the dressing room, dressed in your usual hero costume but looking less like you’ve been running through the streets of Tokyo. Bakugou was in usual costume but without his hand gauntlet.

“Okay you two, we’d like to thank you for taking the time to come on set and do this showing. These tweets are real, and we just want your genuine reaction from them! We’ll try to limit the cuts to be able to ensure that real response, and don’t be afraid to let loose! These are Thirst Tweets for a reason!”

You laughed along with everyone else, except Bakugou who looked a little annoyed by the entire thing. You gave him a slight shove with your shoulders, biting your lip subtly as his gaze locked onto yours.

“Cheer up already, this is supposed to be fun. What, do you not want to be here with me?”

“That’s not--Shut up, shitty woman. Just get ready.” he huffed, glancing away from your stare as he mumbled back.

“Okay, starting in 3, 2…,” The cameraman pointed instead of saying one, signaling the tape was now rolling. You beamed at the camera, working your charm as you gave a little wave.

“Hi, guys! I’m, (l/n) (y/n), or better yet, Seize!”

“And I’m Bakugou Katsuki, Ground Zero.”

“And today we’re reading…,” you trailed off, looking expectantly at your partner.

“Thirst Tweets.”

“You could be a little more enthusiastic you know.”

“Oi, shut it!”

You giggle, looking deviously at the camera before swiping his mug-shaped container.

“Oi, what are you-”

“Let’s see what people are saying about our dear Ground Zero, hm? That’s alright with everyone else, right?”

The crew joyfully agreed at the twist, and with their approval, you shoved your container in Katsuki’s chest.

“All right, let’s see,” You snorted, slapping Bakugou’s shoulder as you read the first tweet, “‘I would love to be able to rip that Hero suit right off of Ground Zero and rub my face along those God-like abs. Can a man be any hotter!? Have you seen his moobs!? *dROOLING*”

“Ha!?” Bakugou looked at the tweet with narrowed eyes before looking back at the camera, “Do you know how expensive this hero suit is!? You ain't ripping shit! Plus, what the hell are moobs?”

“Oh Bakugou, half of the world's population would love to rip that suit off, myself included. Plus, those are your man boobs, and they are absolutely correct, you have the best titties I have ever seen!” You winked at the camera while throwing the paper over your shoulder, “NEXT!”

You gave your bucket a good shake, making eye contact with the confused blonde who was still stuck on your last comment.

“‘Y’all don’t understand what I would do just to have @GroundZero to choke me with a gloved hand. Or do anything to me really. He could hit me with his car, repeated use his quirk on me, give me paper cuts all over my body and throw me into a pool of lemon juice, and I’d beg for some more like yes zaddy **** my ***** up!,’ OH MY GOD.” You used one hand to hold your mouth in amusement, putting the bucket between your thighs so you could show the tweet with your now free hand.

“You have some pretty kinky fans, Bakugou,” you teased, waving the paper in his face as he grabbed your wrist to hold it steady, staring in disbelief.

“You all are disgusting, why in the fuck would anyone do that to you? Let alone me, who the hell do you think I am!?”

“I mean, you can’t judge, can you?”

He snaps his head to look at you, a heated glare on his face.

“The hell, of course, I can judge! These people want me to torture them, sick bastards.”

You laughed as Bakugou sucked in a sharp breath between clenched cheeks, you were thoroughly enjoying his discomfort.

“NEXT!” You shouted, crumbling the paper and tossing it at Bakugou.

“How many of these are there?” He sighed, looking in your bucket in his hands and shaking it around.

“With the way you look there are bound to be a ton.”

“What-”

“‘If I were only able to take just Ground Zero’s jaw out on a date, I’d never be happier’ Oh that one isn’t so bad-”

“My jaw? What the hell-” He looked over your shoulder, reading the tweet.

You looked up and stared at the blessed jawline.

“That’s what it says, but I gotta disagree,” You grabbed his arm and squeezed it while smirking deviously into the camera, “These arms are better, I’d take these bad boys out for coffee over his jaw any day.”

Instead of shaking you off, you swore you felt Bakugou flex slightly under your hold and couldn’t help the shit-eating grin that overtook your face as you stared up at him through your eyelashes.

“Are you flexing, Ground Zero?”

“HAH!? NO WAY, READ THE NEXT DAMN TWEET AND GET OFF OF ME ALREADY.” He snatched his arm from your hold as you waved him off, grabbing the last tweet from the container.

“Aw guess there weren’t as many as I thought, we’re already reaching the end-”

“Good because I’m tired of these wackjobs.”

You scanned over the paper, unable to contain yourself as you busted out laughing. You knew Bakugou was glaring at you, but you couldn’t help it, you almost fell off your chair, having to once again grab his arm for support.

“This, I just- Oh my God, Bakugou you’re-HA!”

“Can you knock it off and read it before I blow your ass up!” He hissed at you, and you knew you shouldn’t have made the situation any worse than it was- but sometimes you can’t help yourself.

“Damn, I mean if you really wanna tap this ass Bakugou, how can I say no~?”

He growled lowly, glaring harshly at your face as you only winked in response.

“Watch it, (l/n)-”

“‘Ive always been straight BUT i wish ground zero would rip me apart like he did to tht one moth villain, n after tht I have literally never questioned my sexuality so hard, I would let tht man bury his **** so far inside my *** tht i become the Queen of the f**king gays, all hail to me, GZ’s b**tch.Thts it. Thts the tweet.’ HAA.”

You felt Bakugou tense beside you, and when you looked over you saw him shaking in anger.

“Oh what, it’s charming!” You slowed your laughter down to measly chuckles, catching your breath as you were wiping tears from your eyes.

“How is that god damn charming!?” He seethed.

“You know, I can see it.”

“See what?”

“You being gay-”

“HA!? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING.”

You look back to the camera and give an innocent shrug.

“He could've fooled me, I swear I saw him checking out Deku a few missions back-” A small explosion cut you off, and you rolled your eyes.

“So dramatic, it’s no big deal. I check out Deku all the time too.”

“You fucking what?”

“Oh yea, I mean I check out Shoto too but Deku’s got a cute ass. What can I say-”

“You’re fucking pathetic.” He huffed, snapping his gaze away from where you sat.

“Sorry, was I overstepping? I’ll leave your man alone!” You teased, poking his thigh as you did.

“Goddammit (l/n), I’m not fucking gay for Deku!” He swatted your hand away, scooting as far away as he could from you.

Which wasn’t very far, seeing as he made no effort to move the stools away from each other.

“So you’re gay for-”

“NOBODY!”

“Okay okay!! Just read my tweets already, I know they’re getting antsy watching us just talk about your closeted sexuality!”

“...tch.”

You could practically see a vein popping out of his neck, and even though you were sure he was picturing murdering you in his mind, you couldn’t help but think of how sexy it was.

You watched as he unenthusiastically pulled out a piece of paper, bored eyes scanning till they narrowed.

“You’re fucking fans are worse than mine.”

“What! Read it, I wanna hear!”

“Do I have to-”

You cut him off with a sharp look of your own, wearing him down until he sighed and did as he was supposed to.

“‘I would pay any amount of money, or literally give up any organ-appendix, spleen, gallbladder, lungs, my damn heart, just so Seize can spit on my face and call me a worthless, good-for-nothing loser, then kick my body and walk away. It would be my honor and my greatest life accomplishment.’” He threw the paper in front of him as if it were burning his skin, once again staring at the camera in disgust.

“Wow,” You giggled, “I don’t even know how to respond. I don’t really think that’s worse than yours Bakugou, but thanks I guess?”

“Thanks!? That’s all you’re going to say? How about I kick your ass and call you a worthless shithead myself, would that turn on all you perverts watching this, ha!?”

You smacked his arm playfully as you tried to get him to calm down, but his heavy breathing was an indication he wasn’t having it.

“I’m sure it would-,” His head whipped to face you and you clicked your tongue at his behavior.

“Oh, c’mon don’t be a prude, these are juicy and I for one wanna keep hearing them! So, hurry up and read another one before you blow a gasket.”

“Whatever, this is fucking stupid.”

“Alright stupid, just keep going.”

He side-eyed you, grinding his teeth together in what you assumed was to hold back even more vulgar insults.

“‘Don’t kink shame me..’” Bakugou paused, a long sigh coming from him as he reluctantly continued, “...’Don’t kink shame me but it’s my goal in life to die by @Seizes thighs. Her thighs are so strong but soft looking and I swear they can crush me in an instant-’”

“Ohh that’s true. These can crush anyone.” You slapped your thighs for emphasis, a cheeky grin playing on your lips.

“Are you seriously proud of that?” He deadpanned at your joyful expression.

“Uh, yeah? What, a woman can’t be proud of her thunder thighs of steel! You're just jealous you’re not being crushed by these babies.”

“Why the fuck would I be jealous!?”

“Cause I have amazing thighs that any man would love to be in between-”

“Next fucking tweet,” Bakugou cut you off, “‘I will eat Seize ass with a spoon, be havin’ that as breakfast, lunch, and dinner n never get tired.’ Okay but seriously what the hell is wrong with you people? With a damn spoon?”

“It’s flattering almost, don’t you think? I would be their favorite meal that they never get tired of,” You look to the camera and wiggle your eyebrows, “I mean I don’t know if I’m down for that, but if you wanna snack sometime, link up with my manager-”

“Absolutely not, don’t give these perverts any more fucking ideas.”

“Okay, dad.”

“Quit being a damn brat and just accept that these are weird and not cute, for fucks sake!”

You look to the crew behind the camera, bowing your head a bit as you spoke.

“Sorry, you’re going to have a lot of bleeps because of this big lug.”

“DON’T IGNORE ME-”

“Read the next tweet,” you extend your words in a whiny voice, “I wanna hear what else people think about me!”

You watched as Bakugou clenched his hand before relaxing, reaching inside to pull out another folded paper.

“‘@Seize is the best ever. Strong and compassionate, honestly my favorite hero by far. She’s giving the other pros a run for their money, good job and keep it up!’. Tch at least we’re done with the weird ass shit. ”

“AWHHH, you guys are so sweet! I don’t know how I match up to other heroes-”

“Tch, she matches up just fine-”

“Well, if we’re talking about boobs, especially if you compare mine to yours, I don’t stand a chance!” You reached a hand over while your body was still facing the front and squeezed one of his pectorals.

“YOU HAD TO TURN THIS INTO SOMETHING FUCKING STUPID, DIDN’T YOU!?” He jerked away from you; eye twitching as he took ragged breaths.

“What, just stating the truth. Now, c’mon if we had the same number of tweets then this should be my last, why do I have to drag these out of you?”

“Shut the hell up,” He picked out the last piece of paper as he tossed the bucket on the ground, ignoring the way you complained about it. “‘Got damn,’ Holy hell I’m going to lose brain cells, ‘Got damn, Id suck a fart’...’suck a fart out of Seize’s ass and woul beg for more as she suffocates me, no cap. Lick her from those ankles to those thighs n back, I bet she tastes like one of those sour n sweet skittles wid the way she sweaty from beating others asses but good from the way she hot, and dat shit be the best shit u can taste. wont even say sorry, jus flip her over and eat that ass’...’#NomNomNom’”

“Wow, some of you guys are pretty creative. I mean, I can’t tell you what I taste like but if you wanna try it out, lemme know.” You giggled, winking at the camera as you made the ‘call me’ sign with your hands.

You were waiting for another blow up from the angry blonde beside you but were surprised to see him silent. He was clenching his jaw harder this time around, eyes narrowed in fuming slits and he shook slightly by how hard his body tensed. You were about to ask if he was okay when you got the signal to end it, so you ignored it for the moment as you gave a bright smile to the camera.

“Well, that seems to be the end of this little segment, boo!,” You gave a pout, before smiling again, jumping back up and tossing an arm around your cast-mate, “Thanks for having us on today, and to end on a serious note make sure you’re staying safe out there. We all care about every single one of you, that’s why we do stuff like this, to stay connected! Have fun, be safe, and remember, be heroes! This has been Seize, along with,”

“Ground Zero.”

“Bye!”

“Cut!”

As soon as it was over, you were thrown off Bakugo’s shoulders as he stood up abruptly. You looked over in worry as he rigidly walked off and you wondered what had went wrong.

During most heavy-duty operations, which are the only type of operations you both worked together, Bakugou was always silent and calculating. He angered easily, and the time to fear him most is becomes quiet. Making a villain piss his pants with his yelling was a skill indeed, but when a villain saw that angered and dark gaze, that’s when they should be terrified.

You tried to follow him, but you were immediately swarmed by your manager who had apologized for arriving late.

“Yes, it is alright! I understand I was able to start perfectly fine, it’s no trouble at all.”

You didn’t listen to his answer, scanning the crowd to realize you had lost the pro.

“Dammit.”

“Ne, (l/n)-sama is there something wrong?”

“No,” You shook your head with a sigh, “Nothing at all.”

-----------------------------

705 notes · View notes

killjoyhistoryarchive · 3 years

Text

“Conventional Weapons” and the Rocky Road to “Danger Days”

In 2009, My Chemical Romance was buzzing with activity. The band performed several shows and festivals (including Summer Sonic in Japan), Gerard and Mikey Way attended San Diego Comic Con, and The Umbrella Academy was named one of Amazon’s top comics of 2009. Ray Toro held a Whopper eating contest on the official MCR website (no joke), while a certain comic series written by Gerard Way and Shaun Simon was announced in August. And at a show at the Roxy in Los Angeles, MCR performed three new songs from their upcoming album.

But while their next album seemed easily slated for an early 2010 release, MCR was about to hit a series of hurdles that would leave them with a scrapped album, a lost drummer, and a totally new outlook on where their music was headed.

On July 31st, 2009, MCR performed a set at the Roxy that included three new songs–“Kiss The Ring,” “The Drugs,” and “Death Before Disco.” Gerard was enthusiastic about the new tracks, even telling Rolling Stone that “Death Before Disco” was “the greatest song we’ve ever written.” Videos of the tracks soon appeared online, where fans eagerly devoured what they thought would be the follow-up to 2006’s The Black Parade.

As the days and weeks went on, the media blitz kicked into high-gear. While Ray Toro posted short studio clips on MCR’s website, the band gave several interviews where they gushed about producer Brendan O'Brien, discussed their new stripped-down style, and claimed that this would be their best record yet. In an interview with MTV, Gerard described the still-untitled album as a “true love letter to rock and roll,” adding:

“There’s something about being an American rock-and-roll band that we’ve kind of grown into and we’re very proud of. And I think that’s what we’re celebrating with this record. There’s no agenda, there’s no mission; it’s just about rock and roll.”

Meanwhile, Gerard Way and close friend Shaun Simon had another surprise in store: a comic series called "Killjoys.” Dark Horse Comics announced the release at San Diego Comic Con. Jeremy Atkins, the Dark Horse Director of Public Relations, described “Killjoys” as “a psychedelic rock-and-roll road trip adventure geared toward both fans of The Umbrella Academy and My Chemical Romance.” But not much else was said about the comic, as MCR’s upcoming album had become Gerard’s top priority.

As the album drew closer to completion, MCR gave fans more glimpses of what lay in store. They shared the titles of various tracks, including “Still Alive,” “Trans Am,” “Hail To The King,” “Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back," “L.A. Heavy,” "The Only Hope For Me Is You,” and “Black Dragon Fighting Society.” They cited a variety of influences, including Queen, Judas Priest, Bruce Springsteen, The Killers, and Blade Runner. By all accounts, this was going to be MCR’s defining album.

In December, MCR previewed seven tracks for SPIN magazine. A month later, in January of 2010, the album–which was still untitled–was rumored to be released on March 30th. As they continued to rework the songs, they realized that the stripped-down sound wasn’t working. As NME reported in January:

Things turned around with a song called “Trans Am,” now renamed "Bullet Proof Heart,” the likely first single. And perversely, they did it by returning to fiction. Broadly, it’s about a boy in New Jersey, dressed in a Judas Priest T-shirt, called Johnny. And a girl called Jenny who might be his girlfriend, but who also (honk the pop fact sirens!) might also be the missing girl from “Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine” by The Killers.

But in the same interview, Gerard restated that the album would give "the purest, best version of the band you could ever hope for.” And in early February, MCR finally started to wrap up production, telling Big Cheese that the album would probably be released in spring or summer.

“Killjoys” also looked promising–back in January, Scott Allie had reported in a blog post that Shaun Simon and Becky Cloonan were ready to get started. Once Gerard wrapped up the album and finished working on the Umbrella Academy movie screenplay, it seemed like he’d be ready to dive in.

But February was also when the band publicly stumbled for the first time.

Before the Big Cheese interview, MCR had abruptly cancelled their appearance at the Soundwave festival in Australia. In a blog post on MCR’s website, Frank claimed that Gerard was having voice problems (he jokingly implied that it was due to coffee and cigarettes) and required treatment to make a full recovery.

Fans were disappointed, but most understood that it couldn’t be helped. But a month later, the fandom received another shock: MCR’s drummer Bob Bryar had departed the band. In another blog post, Frank told fans:

As of 4 weeks ago, My Chemical Romance and Bob Bryar parted ways. This was a painful decision for all of us to make and was not taken lightly. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors and expect you all to do the same. We also wanted to give you all a quick heads up on how the record is progressing. We have been writing some very powerful new songs so this week the four of us entered the studio once again, and what has been ending up on tape each night is some of the most exciting and honest work we have ever created.

The fandom was stunned. Clearly, MCR had been experiencing some behind-the-scenes turmoil, suggesting that the process wasn’t going as smoothly as fans had thought. While it wasn’t known at the time, they also parted ways with producer Brendan O'Brien, who had been hired specifically to channel their raw, back-to-basics sound. Where would MCR go from here? And when would fans hear the latest album–which was apparently undergoing rewrites once again?

It wasn’t until late 2010 that fans would finally learn what had happened to this unreleased album.

This moment, says frontman Gerard Way, looking back on what went wrong, “was the hardest part”. Guitarist Ray Toro was “home dealing with some family things”, leaving Way, his bassist brother Mikey, and guitarist Frank Iero alone in the mixing studio. “The sinking feeling was really starting to become loud that it wasn’t right - that the record wasn’t finished, I couldn’t even put them in a track order … "Thinking about it now, it’s kind of upsetting, because I just felt so lost,” Gerard says.

This was discussed in an interview with Herald Sun, where they talked about the process of starting again after the departure of their drummer and producer. Speaking to Music Radar, Ray Toro talked about the struggles the band had with original producer Brendan O'Brien, admitting that it hadn’t gone as well as they once thought:

“He was really trying; he did the best he could with us. He knew things weren’t clicking, and he’d try to rally us. I remember he said, ‘Hey, on some songs, I’d love to hear you do what you did on The Black Parade.’ Because there wasn’t any of the harmonized guitar parts or the stacking that I usually do. He was trying to get us to make one record, and we wanted to make something totally different.

Musically, we wanted to go back to our basement. But just because we wanted to do something different didn’t make it easy. In many ways, we felt as though we were holding ourselves back creatively. We were going through the motions. Some of the songs were good, but we weren’t happy with all of them.”

Needing a break, Gerard took a vacation to the desert that surrounded Los Angeles. There, as he told Terminal 5, he realized “I had started the band after 9/11 when I hated art. Black Parade had been about hiding and punishment. I couldn’t tell the truth so I’d talk about cancer instead. I had to put on a mask to show people who I really was. But now it was time to own it. To be who I was before this band started. And I had something in my back pocket: this song, ‘Na Na Na.’”

Reunited with producer Rob Cavallo, who had worked on The Black Parade, the band kicked things off with “Na Na Na.” Gerard and Shaun Simon’s comic “Killjoys,” once a separate side project that had nothing to do with the band, suddenly became the concept that they formed the album around. Fueled by fresh creative energy, the band wrote and re-wrote tracks, came up with concepts and characters like Dr. Death Defying, and shredded the limitations that had confined them. At one point, Gerard turned to his brother Mikey and said “Danger Days, here we come again!”

Not everything from the previous record was scrapped. “Trans Am” became “Bulletproof Heart”; “Death Before Disco” became “Party Poison.” A few new versions of old tracks appeared on the record, as well as the Mad Gear and Missile Kid EP that came later. But MCR’s fourth album had gone from a rock and roll record that deliberately avoided ambitious storylines, to a vividly realized concept album that invited fans into the world of post-apocalyptic California. In many ways, it was the opposite of what they had originally planned. And it seemed to be exactly what they had been looking for.

During this time, Frank snapped in-studio photos that he sold on MCR’s official website, offering one-of-a-kind peeks into the recording process. In March, Mikey Way stated in a blog post that “One day you will wake up, and nothing will ever be the same again, but it’ll feel like an old friend.” He was talking about upcoming changes to the MCR website, but in a way that statement reflected the band’s process at the time–they had completely reinvented themselves, and yet there was still a certain familiarity in the old tracks they had revamped.

The band completed the album with fresh energy, offering sporadic updates in the coming months. Fans waited with some skepticism to see what MCR had in store. And finally, one day in early September, MCR’s website disappeared and was replaced with a mysterious transmitter. The Danger Days era had begun.

But was the scrapped album hidden away, never to be heard again? Not quite.

In 2012, in a blog post on MCR’s website, Frank talked about the feelings of depression that he had faced after The Black Parade. He felt like MCR had done it all, leaving them with nothing left to accomplish. In November 2008, Gerard called him up to talk about the band. As new ideas took shape, they prepared to start recording the album that would eventually be scrapped after months of work.

Frank pointed out that while the band had limited themselves during the recording of this album, the songs weren’t inherently bad–in fact, some of them were among his favorites that the band had produced. As time passed, he developed a greater appreciation for the tracks. And when the band met up and listened to those songs, they decided to release a selection of tracks to the public–two tracks a month for the next five months, for a total of ten.

After all this time, the album finally had a title: Conventional Weapons. Tracks included “Kiss The Ring,” “The World Is Ugly,” “Surrender The Night,” and the fan-favorite “The Light Behind Your Eyes.” Listening to the tracks, it was clear that MCR had aimed for a rock album with a pure American sound–no ambitious concepts or storylines, just a set of killer tracks. Whether they succeeded is up to the listener to decide, but they provided some insight into what came before Danger Days.

Due to its unconventional release, and the fact that the album was a series of random tracks and not a finished product, Conventional Weapons is not considered an “official” MCR album. But while Danger Days was the final album, Conventional Weapons was the final release before MCR broke up in 2013. Since the split, the release of CW has caused many fans to wonder–will My Chemical Romance’s fifth (and unreleased) album ever be shared in a similar fashion? Or will it be locked away forever, like the other CW tracks that were never released?

Only time will tell. But for now, Conventional Weapons serves as an intriguing part of MCR’s history–a time when the band set out to make one type of album, and ended up making the complete opposite.

(Picture credits: 1 2 3. Other in-studio photos by Frank Iero.)

[Originally published 07.09.2017]

#my chemical romance #mcr #gerard way #mikey way #ray toro #frank iero #conventional weapons #articles #music #behind the scenes #na na na #bulletproof heart #party poison (song)#killjoyhistory #reuploads

14 notes · View notes

typingtess · 2 years

Photo

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 13 Rewatch: “All the Little Things”

The basics: While the team investigates the discovery of a newborn on an aircraft carrier, Callen searches for Hetty and the Admiral searches for answers about his team, aka the island of misfit toys.

Written by: R. Scott Gemmill wrote/cowrote “The Only Easy Day”, “Brimstone”, “Breach”, “LD50”, “Found”, “Borderline”, “Absolution”, “Archangel”, “Tin Soldiers”, “Impostors”, “Cyberthreat”, “Honor”, “The Watchers” and both sides of the NCIS Los: Angeles/Hawaii Five-0 “Touch of Death” episodes, “Recruit”, “Free Ride”, “Wanted”, “Ravens and The Swans”, “Impact”, “War Cries”, both ends of the “Deep Trouble” season five finale/season six premiere, “Inelegant Heart”, “Praesidium”, “Traitor”, “Active Measures” (season seven premiere), “Blame It On Rio”, “Internal Affairs”, “Matryoshka” part one, "Talion" (season seven finale), “High Value Target”/“Belly of the Beast” (season eight premieres), “The Queen’s Gambit”, “Under Siege”, “Unleashed” (season eight finale), “Party Crashers” (season nine’s premiere), “This Is What We Do” (episode 200), “Các Tù Nhân”, “Goodbye Vietnam”, “Ninguna Salida” (the season nine finale), “Hit List”, “Asesinos”, “Till Death Do Us Part”, “Choke Point”, “The Guardian”, “Hail Mary”, “Kill Beale Vol. 1”, “Alsiyadun”, “Fortune Favors the Brave”, “The Bear” (season 12 premiere), “Angry Karen”, “Love Kills”, “Russia, Russia, Russia”, “The Noble Maidens”, “A Tale of Two Igors” (season 12 finale) and "Subject 17" (season 13 premiere).

Directed by: Terrence O'Hara directed “The Only Easy Day”, “Brimstone”, “The Bank Job”, “Borderline”, “Tin Soldiers”, “The Job”, “Backstopped”, “Crimeleon”, “Blye, K.” Part Two, “San Voir” Part Two, “End Game”, “Paper Soldiers”, “Descent”, “Ascension”, “Fish Out of Water”, “Blaze of Glory”, “Command and Control” (episode 150), “Matryoshka” Part Two, “Belly of the Beast”, “Payback”, “Mountebank”, “Asesinos”, "Searching", “Yellow Jack”, “Raising the Dead”, “Overdue” and "Red Rover, Red Rover". This is his first season 13 episode.

Guest stars of note: Peter Cambor returns as Operational Psychologist Nate Getz. Cambor’s last episode was “Old Tricks” in season eight. Bar Paly returns as Anastasia "Anna" Kolcheck. Paly’s last episode was “The Noble Maidens” in season 12. Jeff Kober returns as Harris Keane. Kober’s last episode was “Hit List” in season 10. Oleysa Rulin returns from the season 13 premiere as Zasha Gagarin. Duncan Campbell is back from “Lost Soldier Down” as NCIS Special Agent Castor (can we get the man a first name?). New to the island of misfit toys: Jolene Kay as NCIS Special Agent Afloat Denise Morgan, Nikki Crawford as Navy Captain Emily Carnes, Carolyn Grundman as Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Sofia Addison, Preston Jones as Gary Drummond, Ty Chen as Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Hill and Jason Woods as Navy Seaman Harold Forest

Our heroes: Are the island of misfit toys.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen: Looking for Hetty through Zasha and now Harris Keane. Sam: Tending to his father with Kam. Kensi: Admits a case about an abandoned baby is unfair in their situation. Deeks: Finds the missing and dying mother, figures out when the attack happened. Fatima: Helping Callen find Hetty. Rountree: Back after some time away. Kilbride: Worried about Callen.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen: Bodyslamming the suspect. Sam: Absent. Kensi: World’s worst storyteller. Deeks: More Alice in Chains than “Agnes of God”. Fatima: Had her best scene in the missing extended scene. Rountree: Walks into a mostly empty office. Kilbride: You can call him Admiral.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange? Hopefully not Syria.

Who's down with OTP: Kensi and Deeks deal with the elephant in the room – they’re on the ship investigating the discovery of the child. All is well with Callen and Anna until they learn they’ve got company.

Who's down with BrOTP: Not a lot of BrOTP opportunities here – Sam’s away, Rountree has a short few scenes with Callen. The Admiral and Nate are colleagues, not buddies.

Fashion review: Callen wears a dark blue sweater in the boat shed. In the office, a blue and white button down shirt. No Sam today. Kensi is in an oatmeal colored henley with a black NCIS windbreaker. Off-white sweater for Deeks under the black NCIS windbreaker. Fatima is wearing an oversized (really oversized) jacket over a grey turtleneck. Rountree has on a dark green jacket with a black tee-shirt. Charcoal grey suit for the Admiral with a pale blue dress shirt and a dark blue tie with little white diamonds.

Music: No music today.

Any notable cut scene: In an extended scene, after Kensi and Deeks meet Agent Morgan and Deeks explains he’s special even if he isn’t a Special Agent, Kensi and Deeks share a little couples talk to the surprise of Morgan. They explain they’re married.

Also extended is the Fatima-Admiral scene in Ops. When he tells her she’s going for a walk, that impresses Fatima. The Admiral says they were quite common before the invention of the electric scooter. Fatima works the joke, saying she heard walks were quite common back in the day - “Sounds dreadful.” The Admiral admires Fatima’s sense of humor but warns her not to make it a habit. He has enough jokers to deal with.

At the end of the day, Fatima walks into the Admiral’s office with a ton of paperwork he’s hoping isn’t for him. It is. The Admiral asks if Fatima knows of any FOIA requests filed by Callen. She does not. The Admiral will just ask Callen instead. With Callen and Rountree still processing the suspect and Kensi and Deeks making their way back from the Carrier, she’d like to go home. As she leaves, Nate arrives, noting the office really is like a fishbowl.

Quote: Admiral: “I'm not worried about Sam. Kensi, either, for that matter. Deeks, on the other hand's, a basket case, but I don't need you to tell me that. No, it's Callen that I'm worried about.”

Honorable mention: Nate: “Admiral Kilbride?” Admiral: “Dr. Getz.” Nate: “Please, you can call me Nate.” Admiral: “Nate. You can still call me Admiral.”

Perhaps two of the most Admiral Kilbride interactions ever.

Anything else: A Navy jet is flying off an aircraft carrier at night. The Roving Watch and Security Watch is checking the ship. One of the sailors walking the watch sees an open hatch to a storage area. He finds blood on the floor. Calling out for whoever is injured, nobody replies. The sailor calls in the open hatch and some blood he found. Under a pile of clothing, he finds a baby.

In the boatshed, ZNN is covering an apparent car-bombing that killed several people in Syria. Callen is on the phone to someone wanting an update on the bombing as soon as possible. He isn’t worried about the time of the call. Anna arrives with some food. Callen is worried that Hetty is in Syria.

In Syria, the locals are digging people out of the rubble and tending to the injured and dead. A woman walks among the workers – it is Zasha. She’s calling Callen with the news that Hetty is not there. Hetty had a meeting with al-Kalmira, the target of the bombing. Zasha checked the wounded in the hospital and all the dead – Hetty’s not among them. Callen wouldn’t be surprised if Hetty called in the military strike against al-Kalmira. He’s al Qaeda. Zasha thinks it is the last meeting Hetty will have in Syria since all her contacts were “blown to hell” in the bombing. Callen thinks if Hetty got out, so did al-Kalmira. When Callen tells Zasha to call him when she finds out where Hetty is, Zasha pushes back – what if she doesn’t call. “You will,” Callen tells her in a rather ominous tone. A man starts staring at Zasha. She ends the call and takes off.

Rountree arrives to an empty office – “and then there was one.” Fatima comes down from Ops welcoming Rountree back. He asks where everyone is. Callen is working a case, Sam’s dad had a fall so Sam and Kam are dealing with that, Kensi and Deeks are on their way to the USS Allegiance, doing exercises off the coast, working a case about a “rather unusual incident” on the carrier. Rountree guesses Russian dolphins. Fatima tells him about the baby.

Landing on the carrier, Kensi and Deeks are met by Special Agent Afloat Denise Morgan. Kensi explains that Deeks is an investigator, not a Special Agent but Deeks says he’s special nonetheless. Moving a little deeper into the carrier, Deeks brings up the “stork visit”. Morgan is keeping things quiet at the skipper’s request. The baby was flown to San Diego and is in the NIC Unit because the baby was premature but appears healthy. The ship doctor estimates the baby was conceived on-board, so the father is a crew member. There are over 400 women on the Allegiance and every single one of them is of childbearing age. Morgan asks if either Kensi or Deeks have children. They don’t – “not yet.”

Asking about the baby, Kensi and Deeks learn she’s a girl. Morgan’s big concern is that clock is ticking on finding the child’s mother. Bringing Kensi and Deeks to the ship’s doctor, the doctor explains that no placenta was found. It could have been disposed in a trash bin or thrown overboard. But if the placenta was retained, the mother could die of sepsis. Kensi asks if anyone is in sickbay with symptoms that would match sepsis. The doctor wished someone was in sickbay – she could treat the mother. Morgan matched the blood from the storage unit where the baby was found with the crew. The mother is A+, which is about 34% of the population or 165 sailors on the carrier. All 165 have been accounted for.

Kensi asks where was the baby found. Morgan says a cargo hold in a secluded part of the ship. The mother probably had the baby there because she wouldn’t be seen or heard delivering the child. The umbilical cord as cut cleanly and tied off with a standard issue bootlace. The baby was wrapped in coveralls and a tee-shirt belonging to a sailor who swears he had nothing to do with all this.

Deeks asks why there wasn’t a ship-wide announcement about the baby. The doctor made that call with the CO. The mother is obviously distraught, unable to share her condition with anyone. The doctor fears the announcement would cause her to panic, possibly hurt herself or “God forbid, jump overboard.” The new mom only has a few hours before either infection sets in or she bleeds out.

Fatima is on the phone with Callen, who is still at the boatshed with Anna sleeping on the couch. He wants to know about the bombing. All Fatima has is that it was an Air Force operation and the Air Force is not sharing with NCIS. She suggests bringing Kilbride into this but Callen says no. He thinks someone else would have intel – maybe Sidney Jones at Homeland or Sabatino. Callen would also like anything NCIS has on al-Kalmira before ending the call. Anna wakes up and asks if anything has changed. It hasn’t. Anna is worried that Callen hasn’t slept. She recommends some fresh air and some real coffee since the boatshed coffee “sucks.”

In the Allegiance interrogation room, Kensi and Deeks are questioning Petty Officer Hill, who found the baby. The hatch being opened caught his eye. He thought the prior person on Roving Watch accidentally left it opened but he saw the blood the floor and knew something happened. Kensi asks what was in the storage area. It is line and cables that get warn out while at sea. He did not hear any from the hold until he pulled the coveralls off the baby and shined his flashlight on her. Then he heard a lot of crying. Deeks asks what is the word around the ship about the incident. Hill only told his commanding officer and the master at arms. He was told to keep quiet and he did.

Next up is Officer Forest, whose coveralls were found with the baby. He has no idea how they got there but he hopes they kept “him” warm. When Kensi tells Forest “him” is a girl, Forest seems genuinely pleased. Deeks wonders if Forest heard about a pregnant crewmember. He did not and was told not to talk about what was going on with anyone. And he has not. Forest has a girlfriend in Nebraska – he’s going to get engaged on his next leave.

Kensi and Deeks ask how the coveralls wound up with the baby. Forest says they could have been taken from his rack. Asked if he didn’t notice they were missing from his weekly laundry, Forest explains that there are 5,000 sailors on the Allegiance. The laundry bags area often filled with other people’s belongings. He regularly gets bras and panties.

As the Admiral walks into the Ops, Fatima clears the screen. She was speaking to a lieutenant but ends the call. The Admiral gets a sitrep on the baby – who is doing fine. Asking for Callen, the Admiral is told he’s working a case. “Color me lucky, the Admiral replies. Fatima offers to call in him but Kilbride does not want to interrupt Callen’s Reiki session, “or whatever it is he’s really up to.” The Admiral wants Fatima to text him when Callen arrives.

Walking on the beach with some coffee, Anna tells Callen that when she’s can smell the ocean, she always feels safe. She asks Callen what makes him feel safe, he says she does. Anna likes the answers but knows she’s lying. Callen wants to know about the Institute of Noble Maidens, how Anna’s mother enrolled Anna to anger Arkady, how Arkady tried to get her out but Anna refused. She admits to all of it – she felt badly turning Arkady away but she liked the place. She got to ride horses, shoot guns, crash cars – “It was fun.” She chose to stay. She thought it was cruel but she not only survived but thrived.

Confused, Callen tells Anna that Arkady would have taken care of her. Anna thinks Arkady’s way of taking care of her would have been an all-girls school on a private island that shoots boys on sight. Callen is lucky Arkady likes him. Anna asks if Callen is thinking about this because of Hetty. Is he worried that she’s in trouble or is he worried that if she doesn’t survive her trouble, he’ll never know about his past. “Probably both.” Anna doesn’t know about Callen’s past but Hetty loves him a like a son. Callen brings up a mother who manipulates her son. Anna replies that all mothers manipulate their children – that how they get the children to do things. Asked if he thinks about where he would be with Hetty, Callen thinks Florida or Alaska, maybe a fireman in Idaho. Anna suggests a farmer and Callen could see that. Callen could too – with a dog and kids. She asks him if that’s what he wants. He isn’t sure. “Maybe you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

The Commanding Officer gets on the PA explaining a blood shortage. All female crew members with A-positive blood must report to sickbay immediately, all male crew members will do the same tomorrow. This is a way to narrow down the field. Kensi is going to talk to the ship’s chaplain. A top gun pilot walks by, checking Kensi out and she does the same. Kensi admits top gun pilots are badasses but so is Deeks. Deeks isn’t biting – he’s more interested in the elephant in the room. They are desperate to have a child and they are investigating a mother who abandoned hers. Kensi considers it all unfair. Deeks goes back to top gun pilots – she really thinks they are badasses? Kensi likes the uniforms. Deeks reminds her he wore one as a cop.

As they banter about Deeks being a cop, Kensi realizes the mother left the baby to be found. If she wanted to hide the baby, she could have thrown her overboard. She could have smothered the baby. These are fairly horrifying thoughts to Deeks. Wrapping the baby up to keep her warm, tying off the umbilical cord, leaving the light on so someone would find her – the baby’s mother wanted the baby to found. Deeks is confused. Kensi is sure the mother did everything to keep the baby safe and they can use that to find her.

In Syria, Zasha is trying to talk to some female locals but is surrounded by four men with rifles. As they close in on Zasha, a man on a motorcycle pulls up and tells her got get on in English. The two ride off with Zasha firing her pistol at the men with rifles to ensure their getaway.

In the sickbay, the ship’s doctor is taking the temperatures of five or so female sailors. All are normal and are sent to return to their duties. The doctor has check 35 women, Morgan checked 19 who couldn’t leave their posts. Deeks spoke to the chaplain, no help there. The ship doctor is going to talk to the CO about a ship wide announcement – the mother is running out of time. Morgan suggests Kensi and Deeks grab a list of untested female sailors and a digital thermometer so they can join in on the testing.

Along a pier, Nate walks up to Admiral Kilbride. Nate wonders why they’re meeting by the beach. The Admiral works in a fishbowl in the office. Besides, it is a beautiful day. LA’s only appeal is the weather outside of the earthquakes, mudslides and fires. Nate wants to know why the Admiral wants to see him. As the team psychologist and someone who ran numerous off the books assignments for “Henrietta”, “just tell me what the hell she’s gotten herself into.”

Nate is evasive, asking what does the Admiral know. He knows she’s in Syria and she made a mess of her mole hunt. What he doesn’t know is if the latest drone strike – it wasn’t a suicide bombing after all – had anything to do with her. Hetty was in Syria to negotiate the release of several hostages. The Admiral asks who are the hostages but Nate does not know. Nate did a profile of the al Qaeda leader for Hetty. He hasn’t heard from her in a few days with no way of reaching her. Hetty calls him, not the other way around.

The Admiral asks if one of the profiles Nate did was on al-Kalmira. It was. “Son of a bitch, we don’t know what the guy looks like and she’s having lunch with him.” The Admiral thinks Hetty called in the drone strike herself (sharing a brain with Callen). Nate wouldn’t put it past her. “Nor should you,” the Admiral replies. Without much else to offer, Nate apologies. As the Admiral is about to leave, he asks a favor. He’d like some professional insight into the rest of the team. Nate is reticent again. The Admiral doesn’t care who wets the bed, he needs help dealing “with this island of misfit toys I’ve inherited.” He’s looking to avoid pitfalls to make the team better. The team being better can save lives, “notably mine.”

Racing into Ops, Callen learns from Fatima she can’t confirm if Hetty or al-Kalmira were there before or after the bombing. Callen gets a call from Zasha. She’s in trouble but was helped by an American. Callen wants to talk to the American. They play “who are you?” for a while but recognize the others’ voice. Callen is talking to Harris Keane. Keane was Hetty’s overwatch until the bombing – “I’m still coughing up dust.” After the bombing, Hetty was gone. She either ran off just before the bombing or went underground just after. Keane hasn’t heard from her. There is no sign she was killed.

Hetty is negotiating the release of two Western journalists, which is a surprise to Callen. It isn’t to Keane since the journalists are actually NCIS staffers Hetty had on a long undercover assignment. They were captured and she’s trying to get them back. Keane doesn’t know the name of the journalists/NCIS Agents. That’s to keep them safe if he is compromised. Saying the locals are freaking out (they just got bombed, it’s hardly outrageous), Keane has a rather large war chest from Hetty to keep them moving around.

Zasha is worried they are about to be found, they need to wrap up the call. Callen asks Keane to keep him in the loop. He also asks about his version of the Noble Maidens. If Hetty dies, all that information dies with her. Keane admits there was a remedial reading program run by the Department of Education but really by the CIA. It was the Drona Project. Zasha cuts off the call. Keane has some vodka for them to share.

With a digital thermometer, Kensi and Deeks are checking some of the female staffers with A-positive blood. Kensi decides to look again around the cargo area while Deeks keeps taking some temperatures. When Deeks is turned down by two female pilots, he decides to find Kensi. He does after wandering around a bit. In the storge area, Deeks finds the mother unconscious but with a pulse.

As the medical team tries to stabilize the mother, she’s identified as Petty Officer Third Class Sofia Addison, a model sailor. Unfortunately, she’s battling sepsis and has lost a lot of blood. She’s getting treatment but isn’t out of the woods yet. Morgan tells Kensi and Deeks that Addison would be dead if they didn’t find her. Kensi is beside herself – they should have been looking for her earlier. Deeks thinks the real issue is finding the father because if Addison doesn’t make it, that baby girl needs her dad. Kensi admits she hates the case. Deeks would rather be shot at by bad guys.

A sailor named Elger is looking into the sickbay window. Deeks asks if they could do something for him. He’d like to know about the status of Petty Officer Addison. They’re good friends. Kensi wants to know how good of friends. Elger says they were great friends. Kensi and Deeks push – were they having sex? Kensi tells him about the baby and Elger is shocked. Deeks brings up a DNA test and they will know who the father is soon – would Elger agree to a test? “Absolutely.” If he isn’t the father, Kensi asks who would Elger think the father could be. No boyfriends on the ship or back at home.

Elger explains that Addison was insecure and intimidated by men. Kensi points out she wasn’t intimidated by him. Elger thinks it was because they’re friends and probably because he’s gay. Addison got along well with the gay men on the ship but not the straight men. She even asked to be removed from escort duty. Deeks asks about escort duty. Elger explains that junior officers are asked to bring around civilian visitors so they don’t get lost, “fall overboard or get sucked into a jet engine.”

Returning to his office, Fatima provides a sitrep on the mother. The Admiral offers a “well done” which Fatima can pass along to Kensi and Deeks.

In their interrogation room, Kensi asks Deeks if he saw “Agnes of God”. He mentions Alice in Chains so no, he hasn’t seen it. Kensi explains the plot – a nun has a baby that she considers a virgin birth. Deeks asks if the nun abandoned her baby. She did, which catches Deeks’s attention. Kensi doesn’t remember the end of the movie, making Kensi the world’s worst storyteller according to Deeks.

Reviewing the paperwork, Deeks finds that Addison was still on escort duty around the time the baby was conceived and she was bringing around some civilian contractors. The request to leave the assignment came right after that. Morgan comes into the room – Addison is awake.

In the sickbay, Addison is on pain meds but doing better. Kensi and Deeks gently question Addison. Deeks asks what she remembers. She doesn’t remember delivering the baby. Deeks asks if one of the other sailors on the Allegiance is the father. Addison says no. Kensi asks about the civilian contractor and Addison reacts. Kensi tells Addison she’s not in trouble. She asks if Addison and the contractor were in a relationship. She denies it. When Deeks asks about contacting the father, Addison starts crying. “He raped me.”

A furious Kensi calls in the rapist’s name, Gary Drummond, and his employer, Ashitom Solutions, to Ops. He works computer software for the DoD. Kensi wants everything done by the book – she wants him to go to jail for what he did.

While Callen fills out a Freedom of Information Act request at his desk, Rountree arrives with news of the rapist. Callen and Rountree are on their way. Arriving at a fancy tech firm, Callen and Sam can’t get anyone’s attention – everyone is wearing headphones. Rountree finds their suspect working way. Tapping on his headphones, Callen gets Drummond’s attention. Drummond tries to blow Callen off. Callen cuts the power to Drummond’s work station. When Rountree explains he’s under arrest and tries to cuff Drummond, Drummond starts yelling about assault. Callen brings up what happened to Petty Officer Addison as true assault but Drummond plays dumb. When Rountree gives him one last chance to go quietly, he takes a swing only to be put on the ground with great force by Callen. None of his headphone wearing coworkers even notice.

Medics are taking Addison to San Diego for more treatment and to be reunited with her daughter. Kensi has a photo of the Addison’s daughter and “even though she came from a very ugly place, she’s a really beautiful little girl. She’s a fighter like her Mom.” Kensi asks if Addison wants to see the photo, she does. As Addison is being taken away, she asks for Kensi one last time. Asking Kensi’s first name, Addison says she is going to name her baby Evelyn after her mother. Deeks teases Kensi about Addison running away from naming her baby Kensi.

Later that night, Nate joins the Admiral in his office and agrees it is a fishbowl. The Admiral thinks the office is like working at a peep show without the tips. Since the health and safety of the team is his top concern, Nate is there to help.

A cocky Gary Drummond says the classified nature of his work means NCIS can’t make him talk. Rountree doesn’t care about his work, he cares about the woman Drummond raped. Drummond says “some dumb sailor chick gets knocked up” and to save her boyfriend from court martial he’s being blamed. Callen and Rountree are so disgusted they have Castor take him from interrogation. Rountree offers to driving Callen back to the office but Anna is picking him up.

The Admiral sums up the team to Nate. He doesn’t work about Sam, Kensi either. “Deeks on the other hand is a basket case,” but the Admiral thinks Nate knows that. His major concern is Callen. When the Admiral asks Nate about something called Drona, Nate brings up “Dronacharya”. It is a teacher of military arts in a Hindu story.

The Admiral explains that Drona was a project in the heyday of the Cold War to teach underprivileged children. Foster children were tested under the guise of looking for learning disabilities to identify those who were “gifted” despite their lots in life. “I’m not going to like this, am I?” Nate says to the Admiral. Neither of them do. Saying it is similar to a Soviet training plan. Nate thought this was an urban legend. The Admiral knows Hetty was involved as was a young Callen as a subject.

Worried that Callen could react badly when Hetty returns so Nate is going to be around for damage control. Not only could things go south between Hetty and Callen, it could sink the team. Callen is the team’s biggest worry.

In the boatshed, Callen is leaving a message for Zasha when Anna walks in. But Anna is stunned to see Callen since she’s Facetiming with him on her phone. Showing Callen the phone, he is talking to himself on the phone. Phone Callen tells real Callen to get some rest. It won’t be fun to come after him if he’s not at his best.

What head canon can be formed from here: More of the unending Callen backstory. Yawn. There were some nice callbacks in this episode from the Allegiance, to the Russian dolphins, to the return of Nate and the return of Katya with the identity stealing software.

The Kensi and Deeks scenes were all twinged with a little sadness that if they had a daughter, she’d be loved and cared for at all costs. Hearing the whole story, however, gets the team rightly infuriated.

The Admiral has to be a fun character to write for and Gerald McRaney hits it out the park with every line of dialogue. I’m rarely bothered about cut scenes – the show has a good history of recycling them – but the scene between the Admiral and Fatima discussing taking a walk needs to used. They were wonderful.

Finally, the male sailors on the Allegiance were interesting characters and good men. The sailor whose clothing was used to keep the baby warm was happy that it was his clothes keeping the baby warm. Elger hanging outside of the sick bay checking to see if Addison was OK – that’s a really good compare/contrast with the software rapist.

Episode number: This is episode 11 of season 13 – the halfway point! It is episode 291 overall.

#NCIS: Los Angeles Rewatch #NCIS: Los Angeles #NCIS: LA #NCIS Los Angeles #ncis la

2 notes · View notes

natromanxoff · 3 years

Text

Queen live at San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, CA, USA - December 16, 1977

(x)

Here is a gloriously positive review of the show in the Dec 20th LA Times.

It states that six new songs were performed, giving further credence to the suggestion that It's Late, Spread Your Wings, and My Melancholy Blues were songs that rotated in the setlist on this tour (We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Sheer Heart Attack, and Get Down Make Love were already regulars). The seven News Of The World tracks would all be mainstays in the set by 1978. Photos 2-5 were taken by Colleen Bracken. Here are a more pro pics, with the wrong date given on the website (they claim to be from Los Angeles '78, but they're not even from Los Angeles '77, as the first picture was used alongside the review of the San Diego show, published two days before the LA show):

The review, Robert Hilburn, was as follows: SAN DIEGO – The rock concert scene may have started sluggishly in ’77, but it’s ending with a stir. There was Aerosmith’s snarl last month, Rod Stewart’s rejoice last week and now: Queen. Already hailed as the best of the mid-’70s British arrivals, Queen is back with its most spectacularly staged and finely honed show yet. Coupled with its stylish new “News of the World” album, the tour should push the classy foursome even further into forefront of contemporary rock bands… Freddie Mercury, the band’s flashy lead singer and occasional pianist, sang and moved with more confidence and dynamics than ever. Wearing a black and white Harlequin outfit open to the waist, Mercury pranced around the stage in a way that gave the band’s already dramatic numbers even added lure and punch. When he sings potent, upbeat tunes like “Liar,” there are few in rock who can match Mercury’s vocal bit. But he’s equally satisfying on softer, more tender numbers. A drunken John Deacon punched through a glass window after the show. Although it required 19 stitches, he was still able to perform the final four shows of the tour. A picture from a party a few nights later reveals him in an arm sling.

#queen #queen band #roger taylor #freddie mercury #brian may #john deacon #queen concerts

31 notes · View notes

ariadnekurosaki · 4 years

Text

I Will Make This Sacrifice

Prompt: Day 13, Sacrifice

Pairing: Kuchiki Ruki/Kurosaki Ichigo

Rating: T

Warnings: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence

Read on AO3.

Summary: This wasn’t supposed to happen. They won the war, after all. (This one hurt to write. So it will probably hurt to read.)

I Will Make This Sacrifice

In the aftermath of the battle with Yhwach, Ichigo leaps back through the portal and finds Rukia with Sode no Shirayuki released in shikai as she guards Orihime. He is seized by a near-hysterical relief that she is there, that she is safe. He finds himself grabbing and kissing her, full on the mouth, as Orihime and Renji look on in shock. Rukia melts into him, arms coming up to grab what remains of the front of his shihakusho to keep his mouth on hers.

Aizen just smirks knowingly before he is bound and carted back off to Mugen.

After the carnage and horror of the Quincy war, Soul Society begins to rebuild. Ichigo, who is slowly recovering the powers that Yhwach tried to take from him, stays behind to help. There are buildings so destroyed by the war that the only thing to do is clean up the rubble.

The rebuilding is a good excuse to stay in Soul Society – with Rukia. Their relationship is nascent and might be not entirely sanctioned, but apparently Captain-Commander Kyouraku and even Byakuya are willing to overlook that for the time being.

Despite the war, there are still hollows, and as two of the shockingly few Shinigami who are still able to fight the more powerful of those monsters, Ichigo and Rukia are frequently sent – together or separately – to deal with incursions into Soul Society by more powerful hollows. Usually it’s ridiculously easy to handle; frequently, neither of them even needs more than a few minutes to destroy their opponent.

Then there is a report of a particularly strong hollow, possibly even an arrancar. Ichigo and Rukia set out together. “It’s probably Grimmjow looking for a fight,” Ichigo jokes as they flash-step to the spot from which the report came.

Rukia laughs, the sound spilling through the air.

It’s not Grimmjow, and it’s not any of the other Espada with whom Soul Society has a fragile agreement. It’s tall and humanoid but covered in the bone of a hollow from the neck down. Bone fragments trail over its head and down its back. One eye, black as night, can be seen while the other is covered by neon-green hair.

Rukia releases Sode no Shirayuki with a thought and Ichigo follows, pulling Zangetsu’s two blades from his back and hip. The arrancar just laughs and forms a cero, blasting red power at them both. Ichigo dodges left and Rukia right, already calling out, “Some no mai, Tsukishiro!”

Without a word the arrancar dodges the circle of ice and fires off another cero. Ichigo’s getsuga similarly has no effect, and the green-haired arrancar draws its sword: a cruelly curved blade.

This is a more challenging fight than Ichigo has had in the weeks after the war, and he dives into the fray of battle while Rukia keeps the arrancar corralled with judicious use of her second dance.

And then the arrancar announces its resurrección in a growl that Ichigo doesn’t understand. The blade grows and splits, spitting power like a fountain as it reforms into a pair of oversized sickles. The arrancar changes as well, bone reforming atop its head into a crown-like headdress.

A gran ray cero erupts from its mouth and dodging that, Ichigo can’t dodge the sickle in the arrancar’s left hand. The handle extends and the blade catches him at the waist, sending him flying and bleeding while Rukia tries to block the arrancar with the ice of another Hakuren.

It isn’t enough: the other sickle catches her and rips through flesh before she can dodge. The other hollows over the past weeks were easy. Still depleted from the war, and now injured, Rukia struggles to stand as Ichigo recovers.

But there is no time to summon his bankai, and the arrancar slashes again while Ichigo aims both blades and calls, more desperately, “Getsuga jūjishō,” out of breath and bleeding from the wound in his side. A second wound joins the first and Ichigo collapses to the ground a few feet away.

Rukia is up again and she leaps between Ichigo and the arrancar to give him time to stand back up.

She falls. Blood sprays. Ichigo breaks.

Zangetsu takes over, as he hasn’t done since Ichigo’s zanpakutō was re-forged in the royal realm, and the arrancar’s eyes widen in shock as Ichigo grows white bone horns and tosses gran ray ceros combined with getsuga tensho like it’s nothing. In seconds, the arrancar is dead, body dissolving into so much reishi.

Zangetsu lets go, white bone falls to pieces, and Ichigo is Ichigo again, skidding in the dust to Rukia and dropping at her side.

“Ichi—go,” Rukia murmurs as he scrambles with kido, never his strong suit, to try and stop the bleeding. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t—just stay with me, Rukia. We’ll get help, I can get us back to the Seireitei, to the Fourth.” He tears wrapping from Zangetsu’s hilt and starts wrapping.

“I love you,” she whispers. There is blood everywhere. It’s soaking through the knees of Ichigo’s hakama and through the white ribbon that flows from Sode no Shirayuki’s hilt.

“Rukia, don’t die…” Ichigo’s mouth finds hers as he pulls her close, heedless of the blood. He whispers “I love you too” into her mouth one last time as he stands, lifting her into his arms and using flash-step to get her back to the Seireitei.

Three heartbeats later, she is gone.

Ichigo reaches the Seireitei with only her body in his arms, eyes shell-shocked and body doused chest to ankles in his lover’s blood. The world around him fades into a roaring buzz of other Shinigami. Byakuya is there with a face of stone while his reiryoku, under iron control for decades, seethes grief. Renji yells in his face, demanding to know what happened. Kenpachi – of all people – looks sympathetic. He is freezing, cold as ice, and his body shivers all over.

He won’t let go of her body. He carries her to the Fourth as though there is still hope, still time to save her. It isn’t until hours later when Hanatarō and Isane beg that Ichigo, slumped on the ground in the courtyard of the Fourth Division’s relief station, lets his hands and arms stop clutching at her. Their hands peel her away; her blood, their blood, has started to dry and there is a strange sucking and tearing sound as his uniform resists being parted from hers. There is a howling that echoes through the air, too, and Ichigo has no idea it is coming from him. He doesn’t even notice when Hanatarō starts to heal him.

Someone helps him change out of his shihakusho and wash the blood off. His throat is raw from screaming; he doesn’t even feel it.

Rukia’s body is laid on a funeral pyre two days later. Every captain and lieutenant, every seated officer able to move, is there. None of the captains wear their haoris, standing instead in only their shihakusho. Captain-Commander Kyōraku has even removed his floral kimono and hat as a sign of respect and mourning.

Byakuya stands next to him as she burns. They both wear jet black kimono, and Ichigo has shorn his hair. At one point he is certain that the only thing keeping him from flinging himself on the pyre with her is Byakuya’s hand, holding fast to his shoulder in an iron grip when he tries to step forward into the flames.

When all that is left are dying embers and all but Byakuya have drifted away, Ichigo sees it: Sode no Shirayuki, lying unharmed. Heedless of the heat he walks forward and grabs for the blade. Usually zanpakutō break or vanish with the death of their Shinigami. He does not know why hers has not.

Icy cold sweeps through Ichigo’s soul, strangely comforting despite the deluge in his heart.

He spends another week in the Fourth Division, though his physical wounds are healed. The division members watch him as if he might do something impulsive. He keeps Sode no Shirayuki with him his every waking moment, and at night the blade leans against the wall with Zangetsu. On the seventh day, Hanatarō comes to talk to him. No one knows what passes between them; Hanatarō never speaks a word of it to anyone, and no one is brave (or stupid) enough to ask Ichigo.

That night when Ichigo sits jinzen, his inner world is…different. The windows have shattered in every skyscraper and some have collapsed altogether; it is alternately snowing and hailing. He looks around and spots Zangetsu, whose hair is shorn as short as his wielder’s. His skin is still dead-white, but he wears a black kimono instead of the white shihakusho.

“I don’t mind sharing for a while, King,” he says quietly into the rain.

“What?”

Zangetsu raises a hand and points. “Guess you might not have noticed. But she’s been here a few days now. Since…” He shudders openly. “Since the Queen died.”

The breath hitches in Ichigo’s lungs. Snow swirls around him and he dodges fist-sized chunks of hail to get to the woman in white. She bows to him solemnly.

“Sode no Shirayuki?” Ichigo asks, and she nods silently. She has cut her hair and it falls only to her chin; the jewels that decorated it are gone. Her kimono is shredded, and pale skin peeks out from beneath the torn fabric. “But…how?”

The zanpakutō spirit manages a shrug. “I do not know, Kurosaki-san,” she whispers. “When Rukia…” Her voice breaks. “I was pulled here. I do not know how this is possible.”

His voice breaks in turn as he says only, “I’m sorry I couldn’t save her.” There is no blame in Shirayuki’s lavender eyes, but they shift away from his, looking down at the ground beneath them.

Zangetsu is next to them again. “I’ll take care of her, King,” he promises. A coat – like the one Ichigo has in bankai – appears in his hands and he drapes it over Sode no Shirayuki’s shoulders.

“My powers are yours, Kurosaki-san,” she tells him, and Zangetsu glances at Ichigo.

“It’s okay if you seal me so that you can carry her,” he says. “It’s okay, King.” Zangetsu wraps an arm around the other spirit and says quietly, “Come on, snow lady. Let’s find somewhere for you to rest.”

It is the most solemn, the most subdued Ichigo has ever seen him and before they leave, he whispers, “Thanks, Zangetsu.”

Back in the Soul Society, Zangetsu is true to his word: he permits himself to be sealed for the first time so that Ichigo can carry Sode no Shirayuki on his right hip and Zangetsu on his left as one slender blade.

Kyōraku is shocked but not unwilling when Ichigo asks to join the Gotei 13 a few days later. The savior of four worlds cannot possibly be sent to the academy, but he isn’t ready to be a captain or even a lieutenant; Kyōraku agrees and soon Ichigo is the tenth seat of the Ninth, under Kensei. They do not object when for the first month he disappears at the end of every day like clockwork, and Byakuya does not stop him when he shows up at the manor to make offerings before Rukia’s image atop the butsudan.

Over the next decade, the younger Shinigami whisper about the officer who has two zanpakutō, one as black as a moonless night and the other white as a snowfall. They say he rarely speaks but fights like a man possessed, sometimes with the black blade that becomes two and sometimes with the white blade that freezes all it touches. They say he never uses bankai with the blade of ice, only with the blade called Slaying Moon. They say he takes tea with the Captain of the Sixth Division once a week and no one knows what either of them, both so taciturn, could possibly have to say to each other.

When Ichigo has been in Soul Society for fifteen years, Captain-Commander Kyōraku appoints him as captain of the Thirteenth Division. The Shinigami continue to whisper, this time that it’s strange that the division continues to have two third seats – Kiyone Kotetsu has long since joined her sister in the Fourth Division but Ichigo promotes the fourth seat to help Sentarō – and no lieutenant. But the division seems to thrive, and the whispers about it die down eventually. Sentarō tells anyone who dares to ask that the lieutenant’s seat is not available. Ichigo just stares at them until they go away.

Only the seated officers know that the Ugendo Hall holds a butsudan with two pictures on it: Captain Ukitake and Rukia Kuchiki. Sometimes the captain and lieutenant of the Sixth Division visit and they sit in the Ugendo together. The butsudan is kept impeccably clean and there is always incense burning and fresh offerings of food and flowers on the shelves. The officers know when their captain has been to the Ugendo, for Rukia’s side of the altar holds not just incense but blue forget-me-nots, purple hyacinths, and pink camellias on those days.

Every August, Ichigo hangs a lantern from the division’s gate for three days. Even the newest recruits know not to disturb it. For those three days, the butsudan overflows with offerings. No one talks about the lantern their captain leaves in his own window.

Time passes. One hundred and fifty years later Ichigo is on his way to meet Renji for a drink when he runs into a petite woman in the third southern district of the Rukongai with hair black as midnight and eyes like sparkling amethysts.

His heart leaps and twists in his chest at the sight of her, and there is a spark of recognition in her eyes as he helps her to stand, hand clasped gently around her elbow. Reiatsu flares and red thread shimmers into existence between them.

Inside him, Zangetsu smiles and Sode no Shirayuki sings.

In hanakotoba, forget-me-nots represent true love and memories, purple hyacinths represent sorrow and a request for forgiveness, and pink camellias represent longing.

#ichiruki #irmonth2020 #ichirukimonth #bleach fanfiction

58 notes · View notes

365days365movies · 3 years

Text

February 2, 2021: Pretty Woman (Review)

Before I jump right into this review, I would like to say something about this movie: it’s timeless, while not aging super well for a couple of reasons. Those reasons make this film a tad problematic, and they are as follows, at least according to me:

Prostitution: Look, in NO WAY can I claim to be an expert, or very knowledgeable on culture in the world of sex workers, duh. But, given changing opinions in this during the past three decades since this film came out, this is bound to seem a little dated. Still, some credit for Edward not being...terribly condescending to her throughout this movie. Again, this is just something I’m noting. If anyone with more expertise knows more about how sex workers feel about this film, hit me up; I’m quite curious.

Edward: Speaking of Edward, though, I know that his character came off at the time as similar to Gordon Gekko from Wall Street (can’t confirm, never seen it), and stereotypical businessman characters (and actual people) from the time, and that he was probably considered quite suave and cool at that time. And don’t get me wrong, Edward is...fine...but living in 2021, and in the current political climate in America...dude comes off like a STRAIGHT sociopath throughout this movie. Yeah, no, less Prince Charming, more Prince Harming. I saw somebody describe him as a romantic Patrick Bateman, and GODDAMN does that resonate. That Zodiac Killer joke from the Recap? That was only slightly kidding, real talk.

I’m sure there are more (especially in terms of gender politics and sexism, but I AM NOT QUALIFIED ENOUGH FOR THAT), but these are the ones that came to me during the watching of the film. Anyway, shall we continue? Because I really DID like this movie, despite some problems with it. Let’s get the Review started!

Review

Cast and Acting: 9/10

Edward might be a sociopath, but I don’t lame Richard Gere for that at all. He works through the character to create some legit emotional development for him, and I appreciate it quite a bit. But he’s not the draw here. First, let’s talk about the supporting cast here. Yes, really. Héctor Elizondo, a Garry Marshall regular, IS A GOD in this movie. I love Barney so much, you have no idea. Laura San Giacomo is a quirky best friend, and I love her. Ralph Bellamy plays a very sweet man in David Morse (even if I disagree with his business). And finally, Jason Alexnder’s Phil Stuckey is IMPRESSIVELY slimy, if a little much at times. Still, he made a good villain in a film that didn’t necessarily need one.

But you all know. You know who takes the entire show here, I know you do. That 9 up there? Sure, the supporting cast carries about 2 of those points, and Gere has one...but JULIA FRIGGIN’ ROBERTS, ACTRESS QUEEN OF ROMANCIA is the star and glue of this movie! She’s perfect, she’s charming, she’s quirky, and she’s absolutely fantastic. Holy shit, I understand solely from this movie, why Julia Roberts became as much of a star as she is.

Plot and Writing: 8/10

Roger Ebert called this a good take on the Pygmalion and Cinderella formulas, both of which the movie heartily acknowledges. And, uh...yeah, it’s a legitimately good take on those formulae, while still being its own unique film, and it’s getting credit for that! It’s interesting to me that J.F. Lawton is the writer, because he...he didn’t do any great things after this one. Under Siege, maybe. Blankman, maybe. I haven’t seen either, so I can’t comment. However, he also wrote Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death. Um. What. Pardon me. Wut. Anyway, plot’s good, character development is apparent through the writing and story, and the only real problem I have is that the time scale is literally a week. And it’s a fairy tale, yeah, and the cheesy nature of some of it definitely shows that. So, not perfect, but still good and unique!

Directing and Cinematography: 7/10

Garry Marshall, former advisor of the land of Romancia...yeah, you did alright. Nothing over-the-top amazing, but not bad by any means. It’s good, but it’s an average kind of good. Same goes for Charles Minsky’s cinematography, which is quite good, but never really breathtaking to me. Good, just not necessarily a cinematic masterpiece.

Production and Art Design: 8/10

The dichotomy between Vivian’s street world and Edward’s high-society world is very well visually portrayed, I gotta say. Most of that isn’t exactly iconically distinctive, but it’s still good. I say MOST of it because, well...Julia Roberts, man. The outfits she’s given in this movie are insanely iconic, even to this day, and they really pick up during the second half of the film. The polo dress, the Rodeo drive dress, the GODDAMN RED OPERA DRESS! It’s all gorgeous, and I genuinely love it all. But one wardrobe does not a movie make. Hence, it’s not perfect, but it’s still up there.

Music and Editing: 7/10

How goes it, James Newton Howard? This won’t be the last time I see you this year, I’m sure. And your score here is great! ANd I don’t remember it...at all! Literally, all of that music is drowned out for me by Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman.” By the way, DID NOT REALIZE that that wasn’t Elvis Presley, nor did my girlfriend. You learn something every day. But anyway, here’s the deal: this film is Dirty Dancing in reverse, in terms of music. And slightly worse than that. A lot of pop songs are peppered throughout this movie, and they’re all famous and good...but they aren’t really tied to this movie much, outside of “Pretty Woman.” But they’re mostly fitting with the times presented in the movie, unlike some of Dirty Dancing’s soundtrack. Not as iconic, but better fitting with the atmosphere. There you have it.

I mean, yeah, a LOT, even. At least 78% approval from me!

Pretty Woman is a cheesy yet heartfelt fairy tale of a movie, and it’s sweet all throughout. Problematic or not, I understand how this film but a crown on the heads of the King and Queen of Romancia. ALL HAIL KING GERE AND QUEEN ROBERTS!

But wait...on the horizon. A rival, and far larger nation, is arming its people, led by a fearsome warrior Queen, and one of her most faithful Kings. The Holy Romance Empire is on the march, and it wants blood. Until then...they will get no sleep.

February 3, 2021: Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

#pretty woman #garry marshall #richard gere #vivian ward #edward lewis #ralph bellamy #jason alexander #Héctor Elizondo #laura san giacomo #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #user365 #romance movie #userbeatriz #romance february

13 notes · View notes